AU596186B2 - Use of a water vapor releasing device to improve the performance of insecticidal baits against cockroaches - Google Patents

Description

l--pgl l 8- l i i: ii S F Ref: 27938 FORM COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA PATENTS ACT 1952 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION t

(ORIGINAL)

FOR OFFICE USE: Class Int Class Complete Specification Lodged: Accepted: Published: Priority: Related Art: nnxtm t mau .nrl ~LC Ilk!t 444 Name and Address of Applicant: American Cyanamid Company One Cyanamid Plaza Wayne New Jersey UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 186 t, Address for Service: Spruson Ferguson, Patent Attorneys Level 33 St Martins Tower, 31 Market Street Sydney, New South Wales, 2000, Australia 4 4 t Complete Specification for the invention entitled: Use of a Water Vapor Releasing Device to Improve the Performance of Insecticidal Baits Against Cockroaches The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us 5845/3

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30,137 USE OF A WATER VAPOR RELEASING DEVICE.TO IMPROVE THE PERFORMANCE OF INSECTICIDAL BAITS AGAINST COCKROACHES ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Method for enhancing the attaction of cockroaches to poisoned bait by the use of water as an attractant and poisoned tt bait and device for cockroaches incorporating water.

t i 4& C t ft~ -ii i i I -IR 30,137 USE OF A WATER VAPOR RELEASING DEVICE TO IMPROVE THE PERFORMANCE OF INSECTICIDAL BAITS AGAINST COCKROACHES This invention relates to the destruction of cockroaches using poison baits and devices incorporationg such baits. More particularly the invention relates to the use of t rf water to enchance the effectiveness of poisoned baits and devices incorporating such baits.

Numerous means have been used in attempts to destroy cockroaches. Fumigation with a gaseous material must penetrate cracks, crevices, and the like to contact and destroy the cockroaches directly. Sprays will do so if sprayed directly I on the roach or if sprayed on an area and the roach ingests the I material. A very effective method uses a poisoned bait. A bait is a composition containing materials which have been t believed to attract roaches, e.g. food materials, which are combined with a poison known to kill roaches. The roach ingests the bait and generally returns to the nest where it dies. It may also be responsible for the death of other 4 4 roaches in the nest. Thus no dead roaches are seen in open areas.

It is also known to use devices to destroy roaches; in some, the insects are trapped in the device after entering either by mechanical construction, or by sticking to a gummy substance. Either way, the device soon fills up and is useless. Poisons and poisoned baits have also been incorporated in devices, where the roach ingests the poison or Doisoned baits and returns to the nest area to die.

ill-l~ .L T Z- j koI L'Z' I .iZ .I Ii I i i. -2- The present invention has as an objective to the attraction of cockroaches to poison and poisoned baits for destroying cockroaches.

A further object, is to provide a bait feeding station and a bait incorporating water.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent as the description thereof proceeds.

In the past, it has been believed that cockroaches were attracted by certain food substances such as molasses, corn syrup, honey and the like; various types of flour, e.g. oatmeal, bran, wheat, peanut butter, and the like. Such substances were incorporated with a known poison for cockroaches either as a powder or with an oily or fatty binder.

o Combinations of these food substances which obtained the highest kill rate were thought to be especially attractive to cockroaches.

It has now been found that although certain food substances may be more attractive for ingestion by cockroaches due to texture, flavor or other factors, roaches are not attracted to food, but find it by foraging, i.e. by searching various areas until food is found. It has been further o oe found that roaches are attracted to water.

Briefly the present invention involves the use of water as an attractant to lure cockroaches to a poisoned bait. Since roaches are attracted to water, this assures that roaches will find the poisoned bait *000 and ingest it. If water is not used, finding the poisoned bait becomes a matter of chance and thus the kill rate would be lower, due to the lower o ~number of roaches searching and ingesting the poisoned bait. This presumes that the bait used is one that does not repel roaches and one which roaches like to eat.

According to a broad form of this invention there is provided a method for attracting roaches to a poison bait composition for cockroaches which comprises food ingredients and poison, and thereby increasing the effectiveness of said bait composition which method comprises including water in said bait composition as an attractant for said roaches.

Exemplary bait compositions are disclosed in U.S. Patents 4,049,460 and 4,514,960. Examples of poisons are disclosed in U.S. Patents 4,087,525 and 4,163,102. Suitable bait feeding stations are disclosed in U.S. Patent 4,563,836.

It will of course be understood that the above are only exemplary and that any bait poison or feeding station is MRC/j13x -3suitable which does not repel the insects and which is effective.

One method of preparing a poisoned bait is as follows, is to heat the various ingredients together until a melt mixture is obtained which is then poured into a suitable container where it solidifies.

Preferably, the poisoned bait of the present invention is a solid non-particulate, non-flowable, non-repellant, fully edible insecticide-bait composition, comprising a pentadienone hydrazone insecticide compound, a specific food attractant system, and a binder. A preservative is optionally added to the composition.

Pentadiene-3-one substituted amidinohydrazones are described by Tomcufcik, U.S. Patent 3,878,201, as antimi 5 alarial and anti-tubercular agents. Lovell, U.S. Patent 4,087,525 and 4,163,102 the disclosures of which are incorporated hereby by reference thereto, describes the use of Sf these compounds as insecticides. The insecticide compounds of S' the Lovell patents are generally represented by the formula: R

R

I I2I I R NH R

C

1 it\D wherein R 1 and R 2 each represent hydrogen, halogen, the group hydrogen or methyl, provided that when R 3 is methyl both R 1 and

R

2 are also methyl; R 4 and R 5 represent hydrogen, C-C 4 alkyl or, when taken together, an alkylene group of 2 to 6 carbon atoms, methyl or phenyl alkylene group of 2 to 4 carbon atoms 17 1 w 1 1~ -4or 1,2-cyclohexylene; R6 is hydrogen or C1-C4 alkyl; and' salts thereof.

Particularly useful compounds are those represented by the formula: CF 3

F

3

(II)

N

NH

N N-H x x wherein X is hydrogen or methyl. The efficacy of the compounds represented by formulas and (II) against a variety of

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Lepidopterous, Orthopterous, Dipterous and Hymenopterous insects is also described by Lovell.

However, the form and method of use described in these patents is generally related to agricultural applications where particulate baits are used and distributed over wide, open areas, and the types of bait systems suggested therein are clearly not suitable for general household consumer use, where an insecticide or insecticide-impregnated material may come into contact with and/or be ingested by children or domestic t pets. Further, the types of food materials suggested by these Spatents have been found by Applicants to be unacceptable in a consumer product formulation in that the product is deficient in one or both of the following characteristics necessary for an acceptable consumer product: non-flowability over the range of temperatures typically encountered during shipping and storage conditions ("non-flowable"), as used in the instant specifications and claims, being defined as non-flowable over the range of temperatures typically encountered during shipment and storage conditions) and total edibility by the cockroaches so that uneaten, insecticide-impregnated material will not pose a hazard to children or domestic animals.

There is a need, therefore, for a form for delivery of these insecticides suitable for use by the ordinary householde for the control of cockroaches, and a formulation which both possesses the foregoing characteristics and is efficacious in killing cockroaches.

The present invention provides solid, non-particulate, non-flowable, non-repellant, fully edible insecticide-bait compositions comprising from about 0.25% to about 5% by weight of a pentadienone substituted amidinohydrazone compound in combination with a food attractant system, and a nonrepellant water-soluble binder. The insecticide-bait composition may further comprise a water-soluble preservative in t order to inter alia, enhance the shelf life of the compo- 4 sition.

Preferably, the invention provides such an insecti- S titt t cide-bait composition comprising an insecticide compound represented by formula and particularly the compound tit* bis(a a ,a-trifluoro-p-tolyl)-1,4-pentadien-3-one(l,4,5,6tetrahydro-5,5-dimethyl-2-pyrimidinyl)hydrazone

(III',

wherein the groups X in formula (II) are each methyl. The S, insecticide-bait compositions of the invention, which are S'cohesive solids at room temperature, may take any convenient form, such as wafers, pellets, molded caps, and the like.

The food attractant system used in the composition of the present invention comprises a mixture of a liquid food i ,t selected from the group consisting of molasses, corn syrup, Smaple syrup, honey, and mixtures of two or more of these foods, and a solid food-oatmeal. The amount of food attractant system and binder material used in the insecticide-bait compositions, and the ratio of one to the other, is not critical provided they form a cohesive solid at room temperature.

Generally, the liquid food comprises about 20.to 50%, preferably 35 to 45%, by weight of the composition, and the oatmeal comprises about 25 to 75%, preferably 30 to 45%, by weight, of the composition.

i The non-repellant binder material used in the composition of the present invention is a solid or liquid, hydrophilic or lipophilic, water-soluble material which is fully edible by the cockroaches. Such substances include, for example, polyethylene glycols of the type available from Union Carbide Corp. under the CarbowaxTM name. Carbowax T M 8000 is the preferred binder material. The binder material generally comprises about 10 to 55%, preferably 12 to 20%, by weight, of the composition.

The insecticide compound is, in general, not sufficiently soluble in the binder material. Although the solid insecticide compound may be incorporated into the binder in the form of discrete solid particles, it is preferable to convert the compound to a more readily dispersible form. It has been found that C 8

-C

18 organic fatty acids are par- -ticularly useful in converting the insecticide into a form dispersible in th- binder material. The fatty acid salt of the insecticide forms a dispersed internal phase in the continuous binder phase. Other acid salts, such as those obtained by '0 reacting the insecticide with surfactants containing fatty acid groups, certain water-soluble acid salts such as acetates, lactates, propionates, sulfates, sulfonates, and the V like, may also be useful in the dispersion of the insecticide in the binder. Generally the insecticide compound is dispersed by reaction with at least an equimolar amount of acid.

.4 Preferably, a molar excess of the acid is used. Preferred insecticide-bait compositions are obtained containing from .0 a* about 1% to by weight, of the insecticide compound and 1% to by weight, of the fatty acid. Oleic acid is a preferred fatty acid.

The preferred compositions may be readily prepared by a hot melt technique, whereby a dispersion of the acid salt of the insecticide compound in a suitanble organic solvent, preferably isopropanol, is added to a fluid heated mixture of food attractant and binder and then poured or cast into a suitable mold or cap, and cooled to room temperature.

As aforesaid, a suitable non-repellant preservative -7may also be incorporated into the composition to prevent spoilage thereof. When used, the preservative should be palatable to the cockroaches (dihydroacetic acid, for example, does not satisfy this requirement). A preferred preservative is the cis isomer of l-(3-chloroallyl) 3,5,7triaza-l-azonia-adamantane chloride, commercially available from Dow Chemical Company as DowicilTM 200, and when used, it will generally comprise at least about preferably about 0.2 to by weight of the composition.

The preferred compositions of the invention are advantageously used in a child and pet-resistance device, which is, however, open and attractive to the insects. Such a device is described, for example, in United States Patent Number 4,563,836.

It will of course be understood that a poisoned bait does not have to be prepared as described, but may be prepared by simple mixing, depending on the binder, or by melting with conventional heat means as previously indicated. The bait may also be used as a loose pulvurulent mixture where there is no danger to children or pets.

The water attractant of the present invention may be incorporated with the bait in various ways, depending on the 4 -1 form in which the bait has been dispersed.

If the bait is spread loosely, the water may be in a 2 container close to the bait. The same arrangement may be used if the bait is in a container of feeding station. It will be clear that if the water does not last as long as the bait, more water may be provided to continue attracting roaches to the S* bait.

30 Alternatively, a water containing means may be made a part of an insect feeding containing bait. This can take any suitable form such as a cup-like container, an inverted bottle with a porus wick, it may also be an absorbent medium attached to the feeding station, such as a piece of porous hydrophyllic plastic, felt, or the like.

Another method for providing water attraction is to incorporate water into the poison bait composition. This may x -8be done by including water absorbent material into the bait formulation.

A method of making a water absorbing polymer may be blended into the bait mixture. In particular, a highly waterabsorbing polymer having water absorption ratio of over 10 may be used to bind water into the bait composition.

As to the highly water-absorbing polymer which is used for the purpose of this invention, it is necessary that the polymer meets at least the following conditions: It does not hinder the inducing properties and appetizing properties to insects: It should have strong water-absorbing property and water-retaining property: It should be capable of absorbing and releasing water; It does not have bonding action and does not alter the physical properties substance t I' which is blended as the main agent; It does not generate S' mold; and Stable quality can be obtained easily.

The highly water-absorbing polymer which is used in this invention and satisfies all of these conditions is the electrolyte polymer having ionic group which was crosslinked slightly by physical chemical means; examples are hydrolysis product of starch acrylonitrile graft polymer; crosslinked product of starch sodium acrylate graft polymer; salt of styren maleic anhydride copolymer crosslinked product; poly sodium acrylate crosslinked product; polyvinyl alcohol acrylate graft copolymer; vinyl ester ethylene unsaturated carboxylic acid or its derivative copolymer's saponified product. Among them. the highly water-absorbing polymer which is an electrolyte polymer that does not contain natural polymer such as starch and contains synthetic carboxylate and hydroxyl group has high water-absorption ratio and has excellent water-retaining properties and also has good strength after absorbing water; therefore, it is desirable to use this In particular, the saponified copolymer of vinyl ester and ethylenic unsaturated carboxylic acid or its derivative in a mol ratio range of X Y 20 80 80 20 (Sumikagel® S 50 (Sumitomo Chemical's registered trade mark; same below) and the polyvinyl alcohol acrylate graft polymer has high r-rrS -9strength after absorbing water and has superior water-retaining properties and it is useful in maintaining the attractant properties and appetizing properties of the bait composition of this invention at high levels for a long period of time under the conditions of use.

As to the highly water-absorbing polymer which is used in this invention, currently there are various types including those which can abosrb and retain water by several hundred thousand times its own weight; consequently, one can select .0 suitable one in comparision with the above described conditions and set the desired level of water retention by blending into any bait composition. The highly water-absorbing polymer which is used in this invention has strong waterabsorbing properties and water-retaining properties and can

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5 repeat water absorption and water release without hindering the attractant properties and appetizing properties to the jtgs insects. Also, it does not have the binder action and does not have reactivity with the main chemical and does not generate Smold; therefore, there is no particular restriction on the amount of blending into the bait for exterminating the harmful insects; however, practically, 0.1 i 10% based on the dry weight is desirable in view of the water retention time.

If the water-absorption ratio is less than 10, water ,retention is not satisfactory even if a very large amount is added; also, this would alter the physical properties of the I bait, making it impossible to achieve the desired effect.

i As to the method of blending the highly water-absorbing 8 polymer of this invention to the bait agent, the powder is simply added and mixed in any process during the bait preparation processes and it does not require any particular technology.

Also, when the bait agent is granule, the polymer can be attached to the granule surface by use of a suitable assistant agent. Also, when the highly water-absorbing polymer is suspended in water and warmed, the water-soluble portion increases with the rise of temperature and becomes aqueous solution and one can use this also. For example, I 1 Sumikagel® S-50 dissolves in water by about 3% at 120 C and, even when the temperature returns to the room temperature, the liquid state is maintained.

The highly water-absorbing polymer which is used in this invention absorbs water in a closed container and lowers the humidity. Therefore, it can be blended with the bait agent for the purpose of maintaining the quality. This qualitystabilizing effect also enhances the practical value of this invention.

Another method for providing a water vapor source is to saturate a highly absorbant porous plastic material with wat-er, or position such a material in a water-containing vessel.

The porous plastic materials are non-flexible, nondeformable, sintered, porous synthetic resins having a con- ,trolled porosity and having omni-directional interconnecting t pores, formed of aggregates of united polymer particles. The degree of porosity of the porous materials can be controlled 4 in their manufacture, thus insuring a wide range water vapor t, releasing properties. Sintered, porous water release devices may be fabricated of high-density polyethylene, low-density i r polyethylene, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinylidene fluoride, and the like. Products are available commercially under the trade designations "Porex" porous plastics and "Porous Poly." The pore size of the applicator may vary widely, depending on the liquid to be delivered. Low-viscosity liquids, such as perfumes, may best

S.

be delivered via a mall-pore plastic applicator, one micron or less. In general, the pore size may vary between about one to 200 microns, and for most purposes, generally about 10-50 microns are preferred.

The porous applicator head may be positioned into the top opening of the container which forms a reservoir or the water to be dispensed. The container can be filled solely with the liquid product. As an alternative, the reservoir may be a part of the bait feeding station, a reservoir on top of the station.

-11- The following examples describe compounding test example of bait.

EXtAPLE 1 Corn Syrup (400 grams), oatmeal (380 grams) and CarbowaxTM 8000 (118 grams; polyethylene glycol obtained from Union Carbide Corp.) were mixed and heated to about 70 0 C. A dispersion of insecticide compound (III), 20 grams, was prepared in 20 grams of oleic acid and 60 grams of isopropanol; 20 grams of DowicilTM 200 was added. The insecticide solution was poured into the heated food-binder mixture, mixed thoroughly and then cast into small caps and cooled to room t temperature.

The following specific Example demonstrate the effectiveness of the use of water in conjunction with the bait.

EXAMPLE 2 The following study was conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the water vapor releasing device in improving bait performance against cockroaches. The device was tested in a 6'x6' open glass arena with cockroach harborage, food, and plastic baffles and compared with a similar arena not containing the device. The water vapor releasing means was a porous plastic polyethylene solid positioned in a water container. The bath was as described in Example 1. Figure 1 shows the orientation of food, bait and water releasing means.

The results are tabulated in Table I.

i r nr xi« r s *h

L

C^-

*CC

L

CCC -1r rr p I

C

C

TABLE I Bait without Water Vapor Releasing Device Bait with Water Vapor Releasing Device Mortality at 7 Days Bait Consumption (g) Mortality at 7 Days Bait Consumption (g) Replicate 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 14.9 34.0 47.0 43.4 46.1 56.5 21.1 48.7 0.08 0.24 0.43 0.27 0.17 0.10 0.19 0.29 62.5 84.2 68.7 79.0 71.6 89.3 78.7 49.5 0.17 0.44 0.68 0.37 0.57 0.26 0.42 0.52 0.43 Average 39.0 0.22 72.9 L i i -13- Cockroach mortality was greter than 2-fold higher, and bait consumption was twice as great when the water vapor releasing devices were present.

EXAMPLE 3 This example is an experiment to demonstrate orientation of German cockroaches towards water.

Methods and Materials 100-200 cockroaches (all stages) were placed in a 11.4 x 7.0 x 7.0 cm covered box. A hole was punched through the box to accommodate a clear plastic cylindrical 1.25 cm diam. Tshaped tube. A cockroach passing through one arm of the tube would reach a junction and turn in the direction of one of the test materials presented at each end of the tube, 3 cm from the junction (Fig. Only one insect was allowed to enter the t i tube at a time and each insect was used only once. After ~is, replications, the test materials were alternated between tube arms. The entire T-tube was rinsed with methanol after replications to remove any cockroach secretions which might 'influence cockroach orientation. The experiment was conducted under red light to eliminate visual stimuli.

The results are shown in Table II.

4 1 -14- TABLE II Precondition Deprived of water 48 hours Choice Offered Dry vs. wet dental wick Deprived of water 48 hours and food 6 hours COMBAT* bait vs.

wet dental wick and COMBAT bait Response 30/30 (100%) oriented towards wet wick 22/30 (73%) oriented towards bait plus water (P 0.05,

X

2 -paired comparisons test) 15/30 oriented towards bait (P 0.05) of American Cy- 10 t T t tr t I t

I

i Deprived and food of water 72 hours COMBAT bait vs.

dry dental wick A commercial bait preparation anamid Company.

The conclusion is that there is orientation towards the water source but not toward the food source (COMBAT bait). The combination of bait and water together attracted signifficantly more cockroaches than bait alone.

C t t i; il.n 15 As previously described, the water may be in a container as such, separate from or a part of the feeding container. As it may be incorporated in an absorbent medium separate from or attached to the feeding station, e.g. paper, sponge, foamed plastic. The water may be in a closed structure or matrix and sold with the bait feeding stations, or it may be added after the feeding stations are put in place.

4 Q o0 0 oo Wo t at 4* S 0t 0 MRC/213x

Claims (7)

1. 2. The method of claim 1 wherein said bait composition includes an ingestible water absorbent material.
2. 3. The method of claim 1 or 2 wherein said bait composition is cast in solid form.
3. 4. The method of claim 2 wherein said water absorbent material is a water absorbent polymeric material having a water absorbent ratio of greater than
4. 5. The method of claim 4 wherein said polymeric material is a synthetic polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyllidine fluoride, acrylate, polyvinyl alcohol, or copolymers thereof.
5. 6. The method of claim 4 or 5 wherein the amount of polymeric material is 0.1 to 10% based on the weight of the bait composition without water. I I' I I i
6. 7. The method of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein said pentadienone substituted amidinohydrazone compound in an amount by weight.
7. 8. A method as defined in claim 1 using the poison bait substantially as herein described with reference to Example 2. DATED this THIRTY-FIRST day of JANUARY 1990 American Cyanamid Company poison is a of 0.25% to composi tion Patent Attorneys for the Applicant SPRUSON FERGUSON MRC/213x