GELLED AQUEOUS INSECT BAIT

Abstract: A gelled, aqueous insect bait is disclosed. The gelled insect bait comprises water, an insecticidally-active ingredient, and an effective amount of carrageenan for causing the water and the insecticidally-active ingredient to form a gel. The carrageenan ingredient attracts insects to the insect bait for bait-ingesting purposes.

Description: GELLED AQUEOUS INSECT BAIT Technical Field The present invention is generally directed to a gelled 5 aqueous insect bait. The gelled insect bait comprises a gelling agent that is also able to function as an insect- attracting agent. The present invention, more particularly, is directed to such an insect bait that utilizes carrageenan not only as the 10 bait gelling agent but also as the insect-attracting agent. Background Art Carrageenan is a sulfated polysaccharide, derived from red algae. Such algae is commonly known as Irish moss. Carrageenan is reported in the literature as being 15 composed principally of alpha-D-galactopyranose-4-sulfate units as well as 3,6-anhydro-alpha-D-galactopyranose units. Carrageenan can take a variety of forms in accordance with the relative orientation or location of these units to each other within the carrageenan structure. 20 At least five forms of carrageenan are known, respectively designated iota-carrageenan, kappa-carrageenan, lambda-carrageenan, mu-carrageenan, and nu-carrageenan. Kappa-carrageenan, moreover, is known to exhibit certain specific properties in the presence of certain monovalent 25 cations (such as potassium) . Throughout this specification, whenever the term '"carrageenan" is utilized, it is to be understood that such term generally refers to the so-called "kappa" form or variety of commercially-available carrageenan. 30 Inclusion of Irish moss into pesticidal compositions is well known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 271,024 to Booth discloses a poison for squirrels and gophers that includes, > among other ingredients, Irish moss. • U.S. Pat. No. 361,051 to Costello is generally directed 35 to a medicated calcimine. The patent teaches that such a calcimine could include, among other ingredients, a so-called "corrosive" sublimate and Irish moss. The patent suggests that the corrosive sublimate ingredient might be effective for killing insects. U.S. Pat. No. 4,615,883 to Nelsen et al. is generally directed to a method for using a hydrogel agent to encapsulate nematodes in a manner so as to sustain nematode viability for a specified period of time without impairing the ability of such nematodes to infect insect hosts. While Nelsen et al. suggest that carrageenan (combined with locust bean gum) might provide one such suitable hydrogel agent, it is clear that Nelsen et al. specifically teach inclusion of other ingredients (such as certain commercial formulations for the rearing of insects, certain chemical attractants, pheromones, and the like) for insect-attracting purposes. Use of carrageenan as a gelling agent is well known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,956,173 to Towle is generally directed to the preparation of firm, elastic gels that are based on carrageenan. See also U.S. Pat. No. 4,661,475 to Bayerlein et al. Gelled insect baits are desirable for a number of reasons. One such reason involves processing considerations. For example, the manufacture of a gelled bait typically does not give rise to a dusty or a powdery residue; and the packaging of such a gelled insect bait is accordingly viewed as a relatively "cleaner" operation than another manufacturing procedure which involves insect baits that e.g. take the form of tablets and/or powder mixtures. One particularly notable benefit or advantage that we observed when utilizing carrageenan as our insect bait- gelling agent, is that carrageenan can be heated in a manner so as to become a pourable liquid, provided that a requisite minimal level of heat is maintained, so that the temperature of the carrageenan-containing composition is maintained at or below a predetermined value. At such a temperature, the thus-heated carrageenan can then be poured without gelling while it is being poured. In particular, the carrageenan-containing composition is generally heated to a temperature of 180°F for a specified period of time. Thereafter, the carrageenan-containing composition is allowed to cool to a suitable, desired pouring temperature. Such a temperature generally ranges between about 140 to about 150°F, depending upon the presence or absence of certain other ingredients in the carrageenan- containing composition. Generally however, at a temperature of less than about 140°F, the carrageenan-containing composition tends to gel and thus is no longer pourable, which is undesirable. Another benefit that we discovered, from utilizing carrageenan as the gelling ingredient, is that carrageenan, a natural product, demonstrates an observable stimulatory effect on certain insect feeding habits or mechanisms. We found this observation to be quite surprising because, indeed, we could find no teaching — or even a suggestion — in the literature that carrageenan possesses the kinds of insect-attracting properties that we observed. Summary Disclosure Of Invention Accordingly, our invention, can briefly be summarized as a gelled, aqueous insect bait. Such a gelled insect bait comprises water, an insecticidally-active chemical ingredient, and an effective amount of carrageenan for causing the water and the insecticidally-active chemical ingredient to form a gel. Our gelled insect bait is more particularly characterized in that the carrageenan component or ingredient (of our gelled, aqueous insect bait) causes insects to be attracted to the insect bait, for bait- ingesting purposes. At this juncture, brief mention is made to point out that while the present invention is susceptible to embodiment in various forms, there is hereinafter described in detail a number of examples embodying the principles of our invention. The present disclosure, therefore, is to be considered as merely an exemplification of our invention, without limitation to the specific embodiments or examples discussed hereinbelow. Detailed Description Of The Invention The gelled, aqueous insect bait of the present invention comprises water, an insecticidally-active chemical ingredient, and an effective amount of carrageenan for causing the water and the insecticidally-active chemical ingredient to form a gel. In the insect bait of the present invention, it is the carrageenan ingredient which not only causes the insect bait to form a gel but also causes insects to be attracted to the gelled bait for bait-ingesting purposes. Industrial Applicability The insect-ingestible, gelled bait of the present invention is particularly effective against ants, cockroaches, crickets, fruit flies, house flies, and the like. Best Mode For Carrying Out The Invention Throughout this specification, wherever the term "carrageenan" is utilized, it is to be understood that such term generally refers to the so-called "kappa" form of commercially-available carrageenan. Such carrageenan is presently available from the FMC Corporation, under the "Gelcarin PS 402" brand. More particularly, the carrageenan which we utilized in connection with our below-presented examples had a particle size such that more than about 95.0 weight percent passed through a Series No. 80 U.S. Standard Sieve (about 180 microns), had an "as-is" pH of about 8.5 to about 10.5, and had a moisture content of less than about 12.0% (meaning that the carrageenan which we utilized was about 88 percent dry substance) . Such dry substance, still more particularly, consisted of about 65 weight percent to about 75 weight percent kappa carrageenan; and the remainder of the dry substance consisted of locust bean gum and salts such as sodium chloride and potassium chloride. As used herein, the term "insect bait" is understood to mean an insecticidally-active composition-of-matter specifically formulated (1) to attract insects (to such a composition) and (2) to induce such bait-attracted insects either (a) to ingest at least a portion of such a composition, thereby directly causing the death of such insects, or (b) to transport at least a portion of such a composition to an insect colony, for the purpose of destroying such a colony. The insecticidally-active chemical ingredient of the present invention can be water soluble or can be water insoluble; and, if water-insoluble, the insect bait of the present invention further preferably comprises a surfactant (or emulsifier) . Suitable water-soluble insecticidally-active chemical ingredients, for purposes of the present invention, include 0,0-dimethyl 2,2,2-trichloro-l-hydroxyethyl phosphonate (also known as Trichlorfon and/or Dipterex) , acetylphosphoramidothioic acid 0,S-di-methyl ester (also known as Acephate and/or Orthene) , sodium fluoride, boric acid, sodium borate, and combinations thereof. Suitable water-insoluble insecticidally-active chemical ingredients, for purposes of the present invention, include N-ethyl perfluorooctanesulfonamide (also known as Sulfluramid) , phosphorothioic acid 0,0-diethyl O-(3,5,6- trichloro-2-pyridinyl) ester (also known as Chlorpyrifos and/or Dursban), 2-(1-methylethoxy) phenol methylcarbamate (also known as propoxur and/or Baygon) , Hydramethylnon, Avermectin, and combinations thereof. Suitable surfactants for purposes of the present invention, include ethoxylated sorbitan esters capable of producing an oil-in-water emulsion. Such esters have an HLB value that is greater than 10. The preferred HLB value is between about 12 to 17. (The terms "surfactant" and "emulsifier" are herein utilized in an equivalent sense.) The preferred surfactants, for purposes of the present invention, include a variety of commercially available non- ionic surfactants, disclosed in greater detail hereinbelow. The gelled insect bait of the present invention may further include, as optional additional ingredients, certain specified insect-feeding co-stimulants and/or insect co- attractants. Suitable co-stimulants and/or co-attractants include, but are not limited to, proteins, oils, and carbohydrates such as sugars, honey and molasses. Still further, any such co-stimulant and/or co-attractant, may further function as a humectant, in accordance with the principles of the present invention. As used herein, the term "humectant" is any ingredient which, when incorporated into the insect bait of the present invention, tends to attract and retain environmental moisture. The gelled insect bait of the present invention may further include, as yet another optional ingredient, a suitable filler material such as an agricultural product or an agricultural by-product. Suitable, for purposes of the present invention, as such a product or by-product, is corn meal, wheat bran, corn bran, wheat germ, and the like. Our present invention will now be described in greater detail in the following below-presented examples which are given here for illustrative purposes only and are by no means intended to limit the scope of this invention. Examples The following examples present the best mode contemplated by the inventors for disclosing the various principles as well as other aspects, features, advantages and applications of the present invention. EXAMPLE 1: Ant Bait Ingredient Function Wt.-% Water _ _ _ _ _ _ 50 Sucrose Co-attractant 20 Honey Co-attractant 20 Boric acid Chemical insecticide 5 Yeast extract Filler material 3 Carrageenan Insect attractant and gelling agent 2 The ant bait of Example 1 was made as follows. Water of moderate temperature, namely about 60 to about 80°F, was agitated; and into this agitated water was added the carrageenan at such a rate, while maintaining sufficient agitation, so as to form a carrageenan-in-water dispersion. The carrageenan-in-water dispersion was then heated, while maintaining agitation, to a temperature of 180°F. While it is possible, in accordance with the principles of the present invention, to incorporate the remainder of the Example 1 ingredients into the agitated dispersion prior to heating the carrageenan-in-water dispersion to 180°F, we prefer to incorporate the remainder of these ingredients at the time when the agitated dispersion achieves a temperature of 180°F. Accordingly, upon achieving 180°F, and while maintaining agitation, the remainder of the Example 1 ingredients were added to the carrageenan-in-water dispersion and the 180°F temperature was maintained until the resultant dispersion viscosity became noticeably more pronounced. (Utilizing a laboratory beaker-sized quantity of such a dispersion, the noticeable increase in viscosity occurred in the range of between about 5 to about 10 minutes, while such dispersion was maintained at 180°F after inclusion of the additional, above-mentioned ingredients.) As soon as a noticeable viscosity increase was achieved, while maintaining agitation and a temperature of 180°F, the carrageenan-in-water dispersion was allowed to cool to a suitable dispersion-pouring temperature, which, in Example 1, was 150°F. The pourable, carrageenan-containing dispersion was then poured into a preselected container and was allowed to cool further, to form an insecticidally-active gel. The gelled bait of Example 1 was observed to be effective against ants. EXAMPLE 2: Roach Bait Ingredient Function Wt.-% Molasses Co-attractant 30.5 Water _ _ _ _ _ _ 25 Sucrose Co-attractant 20 Corn meal Filler material 20 Carrageenan Gelling agent and insect attractant 3 Tween 80 Surfactant 1 Dursban Chemical insecticide .5 The roach bait of Example 2 was made as follows. Water of moderate temperature, namely about 60 to about 80°F, was agitated; and into this agitated water was added the carrageenan at such a rate, while maintaining sufficient agitation, so as to form a carrageenan-in-water dispersion. The Dursban insecticide and Tween 80 brand surfactant were combined and heated to a temperature effective for forming an insecticide-in-surfactant solution. Such temperature was 120°F. Tween 80 is a commercially-available general-purpose sorbitan monooleate-based nonionic surfactant having an HLB value of 15. The carrageenan-in-water dispersion was heated, while maintaining agitation, to a temperature of 180°F. While it is possible, in accordance with the principles of the present invention, to incorporate the remainder of the Example 2 ingredients (i.e., the molasses and sucrose co-attractants as well as the corn meal filler material) into the agitated dispersion prior to heating the carrageenan-in-water dispersion to 180°F, we prefer to incorporate such remainder of ingredients into such dispersion at the time when the agitated dispersion achieves a temperature of 180°F. Accordingly, upon achieving 180°F, and while maintaining agitation, the molasses and sucrose co-attractants as well as the corn meal filler material were added to the carrageenan- in-water dispersion and the 180°F temperature was maintained until the resultant dispersion viscosity became noticeably more pronounced. As soon as a noticeable viscosity increase was achieved, while maintaining agitation and a temperature of 180°F, the carrageenan-in-water dispersion was allowed to cool to about 150°F. While maintaining agitation of the carrageenan-in-water dispersion, the above-mentioned heated insecticide-in- surfactant solution (at 120°F) was incorporated into the 150°F dispersion; and agitation was maintained for an amount of time effective for forming a mixture. (Utilizing a laboratory beaker-sized quantity of such mixture components, the amount of time necessary to thus form a mixture was no more than about 1/2 hour.) Moreover, during such agitation, the temperature of the dispersion was maintained at 150°F to enable the mixture components to be pourable upon formation of the mixture. The thus-formed pourable carrageenan-containing mixture was then poured into a preselected container and was allowed to cool further, to form a gelled insecticidally-active mixture. The gelled bait of Example 2 was observed to be effective against cockroaches. EXAMPLE 3; Carrageenan-Containing Gelled Insect Bait Ingredient Function Wt.-% Water - - - 98 Carrageenan Insect attractant and gelling agent 1.5 Acephate Chemical insecticide 0.5 The gelled bait of Example 3 was made as follows. Water of moderate temperature, namely about 60 to about 80°F. , was agitated; and into this agitated water was added the carrageenan at such a rate, while maintaining sufficient agitation, so as to form a carrageenan-in-water dispersion. The carrageenan-in-water dispersion, while maintaining agitation, was heated to a temperature of 180°F. Upon achieving 180°F. , the temperature was maintained until the dispersion viscosity became noticeably more pronounced. As soon as a noticeable viscosity increase was achieved, while maintaining agitation, the carrageenan-in-water dispersion was allowed to cool to a temperature of about 150°F. At this temperature, while maintaining agitation, the acephate insecticide was added to the carrageenan-in-water dispersion. Agitation was maintained for an amount of time effective for forming a mixture. (Utilizing a laboratory beaker-sized quantity of such mixture components, the amount of time necessary to thus form a mixture was no more than about 1/2 of an hour.) The pourable insecticidally-active carrageenan- containing dispersion was then poured into a number of preselected containers and thereafter allowed to cool further, to form a respective number of insecticidally-active gelled insect baits. The insecticidal properties of the Example 3 gel were established as follows. We placed 25 adult male German cockroaches ("Blattella germanica") into a plastic tray. The plastic tray included a "hide", food, and water. (The term "hide" is hereby defined as an insect-harborage structure.) The cockroaches were given 24 hours to acclimate themselves to these new surroundings. Thereafter, a portion of the gelled bait of Example 3 was placed into the plastic tray. Counts of dead cockroaches were subsequently made at 24-hour, 48-hour, and 72-hour intervals, following placement of the gelled bait of Example 3 into the plastic tray. The procedure described in the above paragraph was repeated eight (8) times; and the mean percent mortality from eight (8) replicates of the procedure described in the above paragraph is presented in the following Table. Table: Mean Percent Mortality Data Based on 24-Hour 48-Hour 72-Hour 8 Replicates Interval Interval Interval % Mortality 52.5% 84.5% 95.5% The above-presented data indicates that the cockroaches were attracted to and were induced to feed on the insecticidally-active gelled bait of Example 3 despite the presence of readily available alternative food and water sources. Thus, yet another aspect or feature of our present invention is directed to a method for attracting insects to a situs (or preselected location) . Such a method, in accordance with Example 3, comprises applying an effective amount of carrageenan to the situs for the purpose of attracting insects to such a situs. What has been described herein is a novel, aqueous, gelled insect bait. While the aqueous, gelled insect bait of the present invention has been described with reference to several preferred embodiments, the present invention is not limited thereto. On the contrary, alternatives, changes and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the foregoing description. Accordingly, such alternatives, changes and modifications are to be considered as forming a part of the present invention insofar as they fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Claims: We Claim : 1. A gelled, aqueous insect bait comprising: water; an insecticidally-active ingredient; and an effective amount of carrageenan for causing the water and the insecticidally- 5 active ingredient to form a gel, wherein the carrageenan is characterized as attracting insects to the insect bait for bait-ingesting purposes. 2. The gelled insect bait of claim 1 wherein the insecticidally-active ingredient is water soluble and is 10 selected from the group consisting of 0,0-dimethyl 2,2,2- trichloro-1-hydroxyethyl phosphonate, acetylphosphoramidothioic acid O,S-di-methyl ester, sodium fluoride, boric acid, sodium borate, and combinations thereof. 15 3. The gelled insect bait of claim 1 further including a surfactant. 4. The gelled insect bait of claim 3 wherein the insecticidally-active ingredient is water insoluble and is selected from the group consisting of N-ethyl 20 perfluorooctanesulfonamide, phosphorothioic acid 0,0-diethyl 0-(3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinyl) ester, 2-(1-methylethoxy) phenol methylcarbamate, and combinations thereof. 5. The gelled insect bait of claim 1 further including an insect co-attractant. 25 6. The gelled insect bait of claim 1 further including a filler material. 7. A method of attracting insects to a situs comprising applying an effective amount of carrageenan to said situs for attracting insects thereto. *

Inventors: DYKSTRA SIEBERN, HAINZE JOHN H, DYKSTRA, SIEBERN, HAINZE, JOHN H.
Applicants: JOHNSON & SON INC S C, S.C. JOHNSON & SON, INC.
Application year: 1990
Main classification: A61K31
IPC codes: A01N25, A01N41, A01N47, A01N57, A01N59