DEGESCH

DEGESCH (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Schädlingsbekämpfung, German Association for Pest Control) was a limited-liability company specializing in the development of pesticides and pest-control technologies. It was established in 1919 as a subsidiary of the German chemical company Degussa (Deutsche Gold- und Silber-Scheide-Anstalt). In later years, the German chemical trust I.G. Farbenindustrie, Inc., held major parts of the shares as well. DEGESCH held the patent for Zyklon B, an insecticide based on hydrogen cyanide, and allowed other companies to produce and distribute it under their license. The company’s first CEO was Nobel laureate Fritz Haber, but was made highly profitable in later years by German chemist Dr. Gerhard Peters; he (co)authored several articles and books on Zyklon B and other pesticides and their proper use for pest control, as well as on the best ways of designing fumigation facilities (Kalthoff/Werner 1998).

In 1986, DEGESCH was sold to Detia Freyberg Ltd. (today Detia-Degesch).