ALCOHOL BASED INSECTICIDE

INSECTICIDE A BASE ALCOOL

English Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
The composition comprises a mixture of a C1 to C5
alcohol, an attractant for flying insects which could be a
sugar or sugar substitute or derivative containing syrup,
fish oil, ammonium bicarbonate and/or yeast, and the balance
comprising water. The method of killing flying insects
comprises providing an ecnlosure having an inlet enabling
penetration by flying insects, the enclosure including a
compartment to contain the above defined composition and
placing the enclosure in an environment where flying insects
are present. Alternatively the composition may include yeast
and a dry sugar containing substance such as dry molasses and
dry honey, or ammonium carbonate to be diluted in water until
ethyl alcohol is formed, before introducing the composition
inside the enclosure. The composition has the advantage that
it does not only attract insects, but due to its alcohol
content it also kills them.

Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive
property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:
1. A method for attracting and killing insects
which comprises providing a composition consisting
essentially of about 5 to about 15 volume percent alcohol,
about 5 to about 20 volume percent of an attractant for
flying insects selected from the group consisting of sugar
containing substances, sugar substitute, sugar derivatives
and yeast and mixtures thereof, and the balance consisting
of water and placing said composition in an environment
where said insects are present.
2. Method according to claim 1, wherein the com-
position additionally comprises ammonium bicarbonate.
3. Method according to claim 1, wherein said
attractant is a sugar containing syrup.
4. Method according to claim 3, wherein said
attractant is a cherry syrup (grenadine).
5. Method according to claim 1, wherein said
alcohol is selected from the group consisting of methyl,
ethyl and pentyl alcohol.
6. Method according to claim 4, wherein said
alcohol consists of isopropyl alcohol.

7. Method according to claim 1, wherein said
alcohol consists of ethyl alcohol.
8. Method according to claims 1, 2 or 3, in an
enclosure having an inlet enabling penetration by flying
insects, said enclosure including a compartment to contain
said composition, said enclosure being placed in an
environment where flying insects are present.
9. Method for attracting and killing insects which
comprises providing a composition consisting essentially
of yeast and a substance selected from the group
consisting of a dry sugar containing substance and
ammonium carbonate, said composition to be diluted in
water to allow ethyl alcohol to form therein, introducing
same inside an enclosure where said composition develops
flying insect attracting properties.
10. Method according to claim 9, wherein said dry
sugar containing substance is selected from the group
consisting of dry molasses and dry honey.
11. Method according to claim 9, which comprises
about 1 part dry sugar containing substance or ammonium
carbonate, and about 5 to 15 parts yeast.
12. Method according to claim 11, which comprises
about 1 part dry sugar containing substance or ammonium
carbonate, and about 8 parts yeast.

CLAIMS SUPPORTED BY THE SUPPLEMENTARY DISCLOSURE
13. Method of attracting and killing insects which
comprises providing a composition containing about 5 to 35
volume percent yeast and the balance consisting of
molasses, honey or malt extract, and placing said
composition in an environment where said insects are
present.
14. Method according to claim 13, wherein said com-
position comprises yeast and molasses.
15. Method according to claim 13, wherein said com-
position comprises yeast and honey.
16. Method according to claim 13, wherein said com-
position comprises yeast and malt extract.

Description

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This invention relates to a composition which is
useful for attracting .and killing flying insects. More
particularly, the present invention is concerned with the
destruction of flying insec-ts by attracting them in a medium
where they are killed just abou-t ins-tantaneously>
Although insects have a definite role in the
equilibrium of nature, some of them are really harmful to
humans and, to say the leasc, rnost of them are plain noxious.
On the o-ther hand, the chemical indus-try has produced
thousands of insecticides which can be used with a different
degree of success in fighting crawling as well as flying
insects. Recently, however, it has been found that chemical
insecticides are harmful to humans and animals and are very
detrimental -to the environment.
In my previous Canadian Patents 1,112,158 and
1,185,172 I have described insecticidal natural bait
compositions which are both based on -the use of diatomaceous
earth. In the first patent mentioned above the attractant is
a sugar, while in the latter patent, the attractant is a
yeas-t. It should be noted however that these insecticidal
compositions are only useful in getting rid of crawling
insects, such as cockroaches and tha-t they have no effect on
flying insects.
Some attractants of flying insects are known in the
prior art. E'or example, U.S. 3,160,556 discloses that dioctyl
phthalates consti-tu-te fly baits when used in association with
DDVP (0,0-dimethyl-2,2-dichlorovinyl phosphate). However, it
should be remembered tha-t this is a chemical insecticide
which possesses -the disadvantages mentioned above.
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~ .S. 3,7~8,318 discloses a me-thod oE attrac-ting
yellow-jacket wasps by ~using pentyl pentanoate alone or in
association Witll -triethyl citrate. This is of course another
method involving one or more chemicals.
According to U.S. 4,581,845 insec-ts are a-ttracted
inside an enclosure where they die by suffocation when in
contact with an oleaginous substance. This is a complicated
struc-ture which does not necessarily rely on a particular
attractant and/or killing substance.
There is thereEore a need for a composition which
is cheap to produce, is effective ln attracting flying
insects and causes no harm to the environment.
It has now been Eound that a liquid composition
containing an alcohol, an attractant for flying insects and
wa-ter provides an interesting substance for use in attracting
and killing flying insects.
Although any attractant known to attract flying
insects can be used, the preferred agents, used alone or in
combina-tion, include sugar containing syrups, such as
grenadine or cherry syrups, fish emulsions, yeast, ammonium
bicarbonate or the like.
Any alcohol which is liquid at room temperature,
can be used in the composi-tion according to the invention,
such as me-thyl, ethyl, n-propyl, isopropyl or pentyl alcohol,
ethyl alcohol or isopropyl alcohol being preferred.
The amoun-ts of ingredients used in -the composition
according to the invention are not critical and the exact
quantities used will vary depending on cos-t, effectiveness of
the composi-tion and the types of insects intended to be
destroyed. For example, a sui-table insecticidal composition
comprises about 5 to about 15 volume percent alcohol, about 5
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to about 20 volume percent at-tractant, and the balance
comprises water. In practice, an excellent insecticidal
composition could consist of about 75 volume percent fish
emulsion, about 20 colume percent alcohol and the balance
consists of wa-ter.
According to a preferred embodiment of the
invention, it has been found useful to form the alcohol in
situ. For example, the composition may consis-t of essentially
dry ingredients which can be converted into alcohol and still
containing a flying insect attractant.
The invention therefore also relates to a
composition for use in attracting and killing flying insects
inside an enclosure containing the composition and having
means enabling the flying insects to penetrate therein. The
composition comprises yeast and a substance selected from the
group consisting of a dry sugar containing substance, and
ammonium carbonate, the composi-tion to be diluted in water to
allow ethyl alcohol to form therein before introducing it
inside the enclosure and to develop flying insect attracting
properties.
The preferred dry sugar containing substances
include dry molasses sold under the trade mark Dry Flow
Special 75, dry honey sold under the trade mark Dry Flow
Honey Buds 315-S and the derivative sold under the trade mark
MALTONINE DRY-ME. It has been found that these substances are
easy to manipulate, they are not costly and furthermore they
constitute a good flying insec-t attractant once admixed with
yeast and water.

The composition preferably contains about 5 to lS
parts yeas-t per part of dry sugar con-taining subs-tance, more
preferably 8 parts yeast, per part of dry sugar containing
subs-tance.
The method of use ineludes introducing the
composition in about 50 to 100 parts water, preferably about
80 parts, allowing the liquid mixture to fermen-t at about
110F for about two days, holding it a-t room temperature for
about four days, after which the composition is ready to be
introduced into a flying insect trap.
Parts are given by volume.
The invention will now be illustrated by means of
the following examples.
EXAMPLE 1
The following composition was produced:
300 ml ethyl alcohol
4 1 water
300 ml of a solution containing yeast and ammonium
bicarbonate.
~he composition was introdueed in a flying inseet
trap. Flying insec-ts penetrated in the trap whieh was elosed.
Ag-ter 24 hours all the insects had been killed.
EXAMPLE 2
The same results were obtained with the Eollowing
composition:
300 ml e-thyl aleohol
4 1 water
300 ml cherry syrup.
EXAMPLE 3
The same results were obtained with the following
eomposi-tion:

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300 ml ethyl alcohol
4 1 wa-ter
300 ml fish emulsion.
EXAMPLE 4
A mixture was prepared containing 8 parts dry yeast
and 1 part dry molasses sold under the -trade mark DRY FLOW
SPECIAL 75. The mi~-ture was introduced into 80 parts water
and was allowed to stand at about 110F for two days. This
was followed by room temperature standing for four days. The
mix-ture can then be preserved indefinitely. The mixture was
introduced inside a flying insect trap. A variety of ~lies
and mos~uitoes were attracted inside the trap including
domestic flies, and flies commonly found on cows, horses,
fruits and toilets. A~ter twenty-four hours all insects were
dead.
EXAMPLE 5
The same results we obtained by substituting dry
honey (DRY FLO~ HONEY 315-S) for the dry molasses of example
~.
EXAMPLE 6
The same results were obtained by substituting
MALTONINE DRY-ME for the dry molasses of example 4.
EXAMPLE 7
The same results were obtained by substituting
ammonium carbonate for the dry molasses of example ~, except
that because of its very bad odor i-t could no-t be used in a
domestic environment.

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SUPPLEMENTARY DISCLOSURE
It has now been found that a simple mixture of
yeast including wine yeast with a sugar containing sub-
stance such as molasses, honey, or malt with or without
ammonium carbonate produces even better results than the
compositions defined in the principal disclosure.
For example, using about 5 to about 35 volume
percent yeast, the balance consisting of molasses, honey
or malt extract, excellent results having been obtained
with the same type of enclosure as in the principal
disclosure.
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