FR2599219A1 - APPARATUS FOR ATTRACTING AND KILLING INSECTS. - Google Patents

Abstract

THE INVENTION RELATES TO AN APPARATUS FOR ATTRACTING AND DESTROYING INSECTS, WHICH APPARATUS CONTAINS A PACKET MADE OF A MATERIAL PERMEABLE TO WATER, AND CONTAINING AN INSECTICIDE; A PACKAGE B ALSO MADE OF A MATERIAL PERMEABLE TO WATER, AND CONTAINING AN ATTRACTIVE SUBSTANCE; AND A TRAY1 SUITABLE TO ACCOMMODATE BOTH PACKAGES AND IN WHICH A PARTITION2 IS PROVIDED WITH A SUBSTANTIALLY MEDIUM PART.

Description

APPARATUS FOR ATTRACTING AND KILLING INSECTS

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for attracting and destroying insects using a combination of an insecticide and a

attractive substance.

  An attractive insecticide carpet is a known and conventional type of device for attracting and destroying harmful insects. This product comprises a carpet placed on a tray and which is in the form of a porous sheet, such as a paper, impregnated with a mixture of an insecticide and an attractive substance. In use, the tray is filled with water until its level is close to the surface of the carpet sheet, and the attractive substance which evaporates attracts a harmful insect which will lick or nibble on the surface of the carpet. a

  enough to destroy it.

  One problem with this attractive insecticide mat is that the content of the insecticide component decreases during the time that elapses between its manufacture and its actual use. In addition, the type and amount of effective components which can be impregnated into the porous carpet are limited and no further improvement can be made to the attractive and insecticidal effects of the carpet. The duration of the period of effectiveness of the conventional attractive insecticide carpet is about 2 to 3 weeks, but this is not entirely satisfactory for the needs of the users. It is therefore highly desirable to develop an attractive insecticidal device which has greater attractiveness to insects and exhibits insecticidal effects.

  over a longer period of time than the conventional product.

  Consequently, the main object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for attracting and destroying insects, in which the insecticidal component undergoes a minimum degree of degradation during storage, and which is capable of exhibiting great potency.

  of attraction to insects and superior insecticidal effects over an extended period of use.

  This object of the present invention is achieved by an apparatus for attracting and destroying insects, which comprises a package made of a material permeable to water, and containing an insecticide; a package b also made of a material permeable to water, and containing an attractive substance; and a tray capable of accommodating the two packages.

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  The foregoing as well as other objects, aspects and features of the present invention will become more apparent on reading the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of

  the invention given by way of non-limiting example with reference to the drawings in which: Figure 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of the attractive insecticidal apparatus of the present invention; Figure 2 is a cross section of Figure 1, taken along line A - A '; and Figure 3 is a perspective view of a preferable embodiment of the tray which can be used in conjunction with the

present invention.

  As illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, a tray 1 has a partition 2 in selected areas of its substantially median part. Packages a and b are placed in the two hollow parts separated by the row of partitions. Each of the packages a and b is made of a material permeable to water, such as a sheet of paper, a non-woven fabric, a woven fabric or a sponge, which can be shaped as follows

  a desired shape separately or in combination.

  An insecticide carried by a support is trapped inside the package a, while an attractive substance is trapped in the package b. In use, the tray 1 is filled with a sufficient amount of water to completely cover the two packages, after which the water flows into the package a, thus forcing the water-soluble insecticide component to slowly exit from that -this. Water also flows into package b and is absorbed by the attractive substance contained therein. The water-soluble component of the wetted attractive substance leaves package b while the attractive substance contained therein ferments to allow the attractive material to evaporate from pa30 b. Harmful insects, attracted by the attractive substance itself and / or the material which will attract insects and which has formed as a result of the fermentation of said attractive substance, fly to the tray 1 and, if they suck the water contained in it,

  absorb an amount of insecticide component sufficient to destroy them.

  In the attractive insecticide carpet of the prior art, a mixture of an attractive substance and an insecticide is impregnated in the porous carpet. But, in the apparatus of the present invention, an attractive substance, such as krill flour or milk, which have great attractiveness to insects, or bran or wood flour, which are not as effective as the first type of attractive substance but which absorb water - to ferment and produce a material which will attract insects, or a mixture of these two types of

  attractive substances, is packaged separately from the insecticide.

  The present applicant has carried out studies on the possible causes of the degradation as a function of time of the insecticide component contained in the conventional attractive insecticide carpet. As a result, she unexpectedly discovered that attractants, such as animal or plant extracts, which are commonly used in conjunction with insecticides, help accelerate the breakdown of the insecticide component. The present invention has been made based on this discovery. According to the studies of the present applicant, insecticides underwent little degradation when mixed with saccharides, which are commonly used as attractants, but were broken down by other attractants. The mechanism behind the accelerated decomposition of insecticides by attractants other than saccharides has not been fully discovered, but one possible cause is the chemical reaction that takes place between insecticides and water or substances alkalines present in non-saccharide attractants. An attractive insecticide carpet of the type envisaged in the prior art must be impregnated with water before use. All insecticides are known to be subject to some degree of hydrolysis, although the exact degree of hydrolysis that occurs depends on the type of insecticide, and therefore it has generally been considered that the decrease in the effectiveness of insecticides due to their decomposition after the start of their use is inevitable. According to the discovery of the present applicant, however, the effect of the attractive substances, in particular the attractive substances other than saccharides, is much greater -4

  to that of hydrolysis with regard to the decomposition of insecticides.

  It can therefore be concluded that the stability of insecticides can be ensured by using them simply in combination with saccharide-based attractants. The present applicant has however observed that saccharides cannot be used as effective attractive substances, because harmful insects do not effect

  directional movements (kinesis) towards the stimulant (saccharides).

  On the other hand, once the harmful insects reach the sacchari10 or the aqueous solutions of these, they are trained to eat in an active way, and this shows that sweet components, such as saccharides, are essential for that the insect pest

  can absorb insecticide along with these sweetening components.

  As a result of more in-depth studies carried out along these lines, the present applicant has found that if saccharides are mixed in significant quantities with animal or vegetable-based attractants, their ability to attract harmful insects is reduced, because the high concentration of saccharides suppresses development

  microorganisms, which prevents microbial decomposition of the attractive substance to form an attractive material.

  On the basis of the above-mentioned findings, the present applicant has designed an apparatus for attracting and destroying insects, which has the following characteristics, namely that the insecticide intended to be enclosed in the package has an easily wettable composition. water, the active insecticidal ingredient being mixed with a sweetening component (e.g., saccharide) and a surfactant;

  and the insecticide and the attractive animal-based or vegetable-based substance are enclosed in packages. separate water permeable g% -placed in different areas of the shelf, in order to minimize the degradation of the insecticide during storage and to obtain a great power of attraction and destruction of insects on an extended period of use.

  The insecticide which can be used in the present invention is not limited to a particular type, but mention may be made, as examples of suitable insecticides, of organophosphorus compounds, such as Fenni trothion and Trichlorfon, pyrethroids, such that Allethrin? 'r

2 5 9 9 2 1 9

  -5 or permethrin, and carbamates, such as Propoxure. Preferably, these insecticides are carried on solid supports together with dispersants, in order to form water-soluble formulations. Examples of solid supports are sweetening saccharide powders, such as sucrose, maltose and glucose. Mineral powders, such as talc and bentonite can be added

  optionally as charges. Anionic, nonionic or other types of surfactants are suitable dispersants.

  The proportions of the components of the insecticide intended to be enclosed 1o in the package a and the dosage form of the insecticide can be selected in an appropriate manner; preferable proportions of the insecticide and the solid support are such that the former is used in an amount of 0.5 to 10% by weight, while the latter is used in an amount of 90 to 99.5% by weight. Surfactants are preferably used in amounts ranging from 0.1 to 10% by weight.

  weight, based on the total weight of the insecticide and solid support.

  The insecticide to be enclosed in package a can take various dosage forms, such as a powder or granules.

  Examples of the attractive substance intended to be put into the package b are animal or vegetable-based powders, such as krill flour, milk, cheese, powdered food, wheat flour, bran and wood flour, and mixtures thereof. They can be mixed with liquid attractants, such as animal or plant extracts. The attractants can also be mixed with saccharides and other sweetening components in amounts not exceeding 20%, preferably 15%, by weight, based on the total weight of the composition enclosed in package b. The attractive substance intended to be enclosed therein can take various dosage forms, such as a powder or granules. Optionally, a fungicidal agent

  can be applied to package b to prevent mold from developing on the surface thereof.

  The following description will relate to an embodiment

  Preferably the tray 1 for use in the present invention. 35 A partition 2 is provided in the substantially middle part of a tray -6 1. This partition can be continuous from one end of the tray to the other, so that the tray is entirely divided into two zones, one for house package a and the other to house package b-More

  preferred, the partition 2 is provided in selected zones of the substantially median part of the plate 1, as illustrated in FIG. 1.

  In this more preferable embodiment, when water is poured into the hollow portion in which the package a is placed, the insecticide and the sweetening components dissolve in the water, which then flows into the hollow in which the package b is placed, thereby causing the attractive substance to be released from the package b. The insecticidal effects obtained in this embodiment are greater than those

  obtained in the case where the tray is divided by a single continuous partition.

  Figure 3 is a perspective view showing a more preferred embodiment of the tray. As can be seen, a cut is made in the substantially middle part of a partition 32, and the package a is intended to be placed on the left side of FIG. 3, while the package b is intended to be placed on the side law. The height h of the outer wall 31 of the tray 1, adjacent to the zone in which the package a is intended to be placed, is greater than the height h2 of the partition situated under said cut-out, and h2 is greater than h3, at namely, the height of the outer wall 33 of the tray 1, adjacent to the area in which the package b is intended to be placed. In other words, h> h> h3. Before using the device shown in Figure 3, we

1 2 3 '

  slowly pour water into the recess in which the package has been placed; the insecticide and the appetizing substance (for example, saccharide) are dissolved in the water, which then overflows from the partition at the level of

  the cutout to pass into the hollow part in which the package b is placed. The water supply is stopped when an appropriate amount of it has been poured.

  In the embodiment shown in Figure 3, the water in which the attractive substance has been dissolved does not return to the package a containing the insecticide, which is therefore not broken down to lose its effectiveness. On the other hand, the water containing the insecticide and the sweetening component will spread over the whole of the tray 1, to thus ensure attractive effects and increased insecticides. In addition, the -7 quantities of the insecticide and the sweetening component that will drain

  in the recessed part in which the package b is placed are so small that there is no risk that the fermentation of the attractive substance is prevented by the insecticide and the sweetening component.

  In the embodiments presented above, the packages are arranged in areas separated from the tray. They can however be stacked. In this embodiment, the package b is preferably

positioned on the package a.

  In accordance with the present invention, the insecticide and the attractive substance are placed in separate zones so as to present an increased power of attraction and destruction of insects for a period several times greater than that which the product of prior art. Furthermore, the apparatus of the present invention, for attracting and destroying insects, can, before use, be stored for periods several times greater than the product of the prior art. In addition, in the apparatus of the present invention, in which the insecticide and the attractant are placed in separate sachets, the two effective agents can be used without any limitation as to their type or quantity, which allows greater latitude in these parameters for achieving increased pest attraction and destruction effects compared to the conventional product which uses a carpet impregnated with a mixture of effective agents. Also, the product of the present invention can use water-soluble attractants as they are, so there is no limitation on the quality of the

attractive substance to use.

  The following examples are given for the purpose of providing a further illustration of the advantages of the present invention, but should in no way be considered as limiting. Example 1 and Comparative Example 1 Four grams of an insecticidal composition containing 7.5% by weight of Trichlorfon, 2.5% by weight of a nonionic surfactant and 90% by weight of sucrose, on the one hand , and three grams of an attractive composition containing 5% by weight of milk, 10% by weight of krill flour, 30% by weight of powdered food, 35% by weight of bran and 20% in -; _ L --8

  Weights of wood flour, on the other hand, were enclosed in two separate packages of nonwoven fabric. The two packages were wrapped in external aluminum bags and then stored at 40 C and 75% relative humidity, in order to control the modification as a function of the time of the residual Tri5 chlorfon.

  In Comparative Example 1, a mixture of the insecticidal and attractive compositions having the same formulations as those indicated above was enclosed in a single package and subjected to the same storage test. The results are shown in Table 1. 10 Table 1 Residual Trichlorfon (%) Storage time (months) j 1 2 3 6 Example 1 99.7 98.4 95.1 90.3 Comparative example 1 43.6 17.3 6.6 1.2 The above data shows that the insecticidal component 20 used in the apparatus of the present invention exhibited a very high

degree of stability.

  Example 2 and Comparative Example 2 The two packages prepared in Example 1, one containing the insecticide composition and the other the attractive composition, were placed in areas spaced apart from one another on a tray with the construction illustrated in Figure 1. The tray was filled with water to a height completely covering the two packages. The apparatus for attracting and destroying insects thus prepared was placed on the middle floor of a Peet Grady, which is a form of equipment developed to test the effectiveness of insecticides for home use. The Peet Grady was a square metal box 6 feet (1.83 m) wide equipped with a fan, a light source and a control window. After allowing the attractive insecticide device to remain in the Peet Grady for given periods (see Table 35 2), 100 adult common flies (50 males and 50 females) were dropped into it and, one day later, we counted the number of dead flies. During periods when the insecticide system was left

  attractive stay in the Peet Grady, we kept the packages wet while maintaining the water supply in the tray. In Example Compa5 ratif 2, the same procedures were repeated using a carpet impregnated with 0.3 grams of Trichlorfon, 2 grams of molasses (attractive substance), 0.3 grams of animal extract (attractive substance) and 1 gram of sucrose. The test results are shown in Table 2.

Table 2

  Number of dead common flies Period of stay (weeks) 0 1 2 3 5 Example 2 100 100 100 98 92 Comparative Example 2 100 98 61 43 12 As clearly shown by the data above, the attractive insecticidal apparatus of the present invention has retained, 5 weeks after the start of its use, an insecticidal efficacy of 20 92%, while the conventional carpet has significantly lost its effectiveness

after 3 weeks.

  Example 3 and Comparative Example 3 The attractive effects of the apparatus prepared in Example 2 and in Comparative Example 2 were tested using the following procedures three days after the tray was filled with water: the two devices that had been supplied with water in their tray for three days were placed in two halves of the floor of a Peet Grady, separated by a board of resin with high acrylic content of 15 cm, so that flies 30 fallen by the absorption of water from one device do not mix with flies fallen in the other; then, 100 adult common flies (50 males and 50 females) were released into the Peet Grady and, one day later, the number of flies found dead on the floor on which the apparatus of Example 2 was placed and the number of flies found dead on the floor on which the other device was placed were counted. Five tests were carried out in the same way and the

9 9219

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  results are shown in Table 3.

Table 3

  Number of dead common flies Test series 1 2 3 4 5 d average Example 3 65 59 76 63 71 66.6

Example

  Comparison 3 36 41 24 37 29 33.4 The above data shows that the attractive insecticidal apparatus of the present invention exhibited attractive and insecticidal effects better than those of the conventional product. Examples 4 and 5 The procedures of Example 2 were repeated except that in Example 5 the duration of the period of effectiveness of the insecticide was controlled using a tray with the construction illustrated in Figure 3. This tray was supplied with water in the part 20 in which the package containing the insecticide was placed, until the water reached a height sufficient to cover the package containing the attractive substance. The test results are shown in the

Table 4.

Table 4

  30 Number of dead common flies Residence period (weeks) 0 1 2 3 5 8 Example 4 100 100 100 98 92 51 Example 5 100 100 100 100 100 93 The above data shows that the tray with the construction illustrated in Figure 3 was more effective than the plateau

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  shown in Figure 1, extending the length of time during which insecticide efficacy has manifested itself.

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Claims (12)

  1. Apparatus for attracting and destroying insects, characterized in that it comprises a package (a) made of a material permeable to water and containing an insecticide; a package (b) also made of a material permeable to water, and containing an attractive substance; and a tray (1) able to accommodate the two packages.   2. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the insecticide contains one or more insecticidal components carried by a solid support, these insecticidal components being selected from the group comprising organophosphorus compounds, pyrethroids and carbamates. 3. Apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that the solid support is a saccharide selected from the group comprising the   sucrose, maltose and glucose.   4. Apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that   the insecticide also contains a filler and a dispersant.   5. Apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that the   filler is at least one mineral powder selected from the group comprising clay, talc and bentonite.   6. Apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that the   dispersant is an anionic or nonionic surfactant.   7. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the attractive substance is an animal-or vegetable-based powder selected from the group comprising milk, cheese, krill flour, powdered foods, bran, wheat flour, wood flour and mixtures of these.   8. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that a partition (2) is provided in a substantially middle part of the tray   (1), so that the package (a) can be placed in a separate area with respect to the package (b).   9. Apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that   the partition (2) is continuous from one end of the plate (1) to the other.   10. Apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that the partition (2) is provided in selected areas of the tray (1). 35 11. Apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that 2 5 9 9 2 1 9   -13 that a cut is made in the upper part of the partition   (32), the height (h1) of the outer wall (31) of the tray (1), adjacent to the area in which the package is placed (a), the height (h2) of the partition located under the cutout, and the height (h of the outer wall (33) of the tray, adjacent to the zone in which the package is placed (b), satisfying the following relationship h1.> h2> h3.   12. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that   packages (a) and (b) are stacked.