Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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BIOLOGICAL PESTICIDE
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Pesticides are commonly used in a multitude of settings, from homes, schools,
and
offices to manufacturing plants, cargo containers, and agricultural contexts.
Most
pesticides are generally insect or arachnid nervous system toxicants,
inhibiting or
overpotentiating synapse-synapse and/or neuro-muscular junction transmission,
many
acting specifically as acetylcholinesterase inhibitors.
Representative examples of pesticides include: 1) chlorinated phenyl and
cyclodiene compounds such as DDT, chlordane, heptachlor, and aldrin and
dieldrin; 2)
the carbamate esters carbaryl, carbofuran, aldicarb, and baygon; 3) organic
thiophosphate
esters such as diazinon, malathion, parathion, and dicapthon; and 4) the
synthetic
pyrethroids allethrin, permethrin, resmethrin, and fenvalerate.
These and other pesticides present risks to human health. Although the rate of
post-application degradation may vary widely, almost all pesticides present
some direct
risk to human health through residual toxicity, i.e. direct human contact with
pesticide
residues remaining after treatment, whether through inhalation of volatile
toxic vapors,
skin contact and transdermal absorption, or ingestion. In addition, many
pesticides
present indirect risks to human health in the form of environmental pollution,
most
notably pollution with persistent, halide-substituted organics which
accumulate in the fat
stores of food fish and other animals. These problems have led to complete
bans on the
use of some pesticides -- e.g., DDT, chlordane, heptachlor, aldrin, and
dieldrin -- while
the continued use of the remaining pesticides has produced a new problem: the
increasing
development of widespread resistance to pesticides.
This resistance yields two results: 1) quick post-treatment reoccupation, bv
the
same or a similar insect or arachnid, of the pesticidally-cleared area; and 2)
the need and
cost of continually engineering new pesticides (e.g., synthetic pyrethroids
were developed
because of resistance to the less toxic first generation pyrethrins). New
pesticide
production takes time and the new pesticides that result are almost
universally more
expensive than those they replace. In this context, traditional pesticides are
applied on a
regular, and typically increasing, basis. For example, many schools have come
to be
sprayed monthly or even biweekly, and with increasing quantities of pesticides
to combat
endemic roach re-infestations, often to no avail. This intensifies the problem
of residual
toxicity to people, especially to children who, as a result, may suffer
headaches,
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grogginess, nausea, dizziness, irritability, frenetic behavior, and an
impaired readiness to
learn.
Because of these effects, it has been recognized that totally new approaches
must
be discovered and implemented in order to effectively control invertebrate
pests without
destroying human health and the environment. One such approach is "integrated
pest
management" ("IPM").
Integrated pest management utilizes a variety of ecological strategies by
taking
advantage of pest behaviors and natural enemies, such as parasites, predators,
and/or
diseases. Examples of such strategies include the use of commercially
available supplies
of ladybugs to treat aphid infestations, the release of sterile males into
populations of
pests to decrease their genetic potential, the trapping or bait-poisoning of
pests responding
to a pheromone attractant, the application of juvenizing hormones to pests,
and the release
of spores of pest-pathogenic bacteria such as Bacillus thuringiensis.
Usuallv a variety of these techniques must be used together since few result
in
broad-spectrum pest control. However, their use alone takes a significant
investment of
time, labor, and attention in order to attain a threshold level of pest
control: pest
populations must be monitored and recorded, occupants may be required to
improve their
housekeeping habits, and structural problems such as cracks and gaps must be
identified
and repaired. In addition, it is often necessary to quickly combat acute
infestations,
requiring treatment with traditional pesticides in the short term, in order to
readily
establish the long-term controls of IPM. Moreover, many of the ecological
strategies
have limited applicability in indoor environments such as offices and
classrooms.
Therefore, there is a need for a quick-acting, effective, residually non-toxic
method for
combatting insect, arachnid, and other pests which may be used as a
replacement for
traditional pesticide treatments and as a supplement to the arsenal of
currently available
IPM techniques.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Consequently, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method for
combatting invertebrate (i.e. insect and arachnid) and microbe (i.e.
bacterial, algal,
fungal, and/or viral) pests which is quick-acting, effective, and residually
non-toxic and
which may be used as a replacement for traditional pesticide treatments and as
a
supplement to the arsenal of currently available integrated pest management
techniques.
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It has been surprisingly found that the application of a composition
comprising at
least one protease enzyme is a method for exterminating pests which achieves
these
objectives. The enzyme component of the invention may comprise a single
protease or a
protease-containing mixture of enzymes, whether natural, preformed, or
synthetic. In an
alternate embodiment, the composition may also comprise a detergent component.
This
detergent component comprises one or more surfactant(s), detergent builder(s),
or
mixtures thereof.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
A preferred embodiment of the method of the present invention employs a
composition comprising an enzyme component. The enzyme component comprises at
least one protease enzyme which may be a natural, preformed, or synthetic
protease,
alone or in combination with other enzymes. The protease(s) used in the
composition of
a preferred embodiment of the present invention may be any of the peptidases,
serine
proteases, zinc proteases, thiol proteases, and/or acid proteases. The
protease(s) mav be
digestive protease(s) from an animal, plant, bacterium, or fungus. Additional
enzyme(s)
may be any of hydrolases, oxidoreductases, transferases, lyases, ligases,
andlor
isomerases. The additional enzyme(s) may comprise digestive enzyme(s) from an
animal,
plant, bacterium, or fungus. Preferably, the enzyme component comprises at
least one
protease and at least one other hydrolase, more preferablv a mixture of at
least one
protease and at least one cellulase, lipase, glycosidase, amylase, chitinase,
other protease,
or mixture thereof.
Protease enzymes may be obtained from various commercial sources. A preferred
protease source is the mixture of proteases -- IUB 3.4.21.14 and IUB 3.4.24.4 -
- sold as
Burcotase AL-25 and available from Burlington Chemical Co. of Burlington.
North
Carolina. Preferably about 20% by weight or less of the composition will
comprise
enzymes, more preferably about 0.3-10%, even more preferably about 1-5%, and
still
more preferably about 5%.
The enzyme(s) used in the composition of a preferred embodiment of the present
method are dissolved or suspended in water. In an alternate embodiment, they
may be
dissolved or suspended in a solution comprising a detergent component.
The detergent component may comprise one or more surfactants -- e.g., soap(s),
--
detergent builders, or mixtures thereof. The surfactant may be one or more of
the
cationic, anionic, nonionic, zwitterionic, amphoteric, amphiphilic, or
ampholytic
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surfactants, the soaps, or the mixtures thereof. Preferably, the detergent
component will
comprise at least one surfactant, more preferably at least one surfactant and
at least one
detergent builder, and even more preferably at least one detergent builder and
a
peppermint soap. Alternately, the detergent component will preferably comprise
at least
one each of anionic and nonionic surfactants, and a peppermint soap, and more
preferably, at least one detergent builder, at least one each of anionic and
nonionic
surfactants, and a peppermint soap.
Preferred anionic surfactants include alkali metal-, alkaline earth metal-,
ammonium-, and alkylammonium-carboxylate, -sarcosinate, -sulfonate, and -
sulfate salts
of saturated or unsaturated alkyl, aryl, or alkylaryl compounds. More
preferred anionic
surfactants include the salts of saturated and unsaturated alkyl alcohols,
fats, fatty acids,
and oils, including tallow or coconut, palm, castor, olive, or citrus oils.
Even more
preferred anionic surfactants include the alkali metal, alkaline earth metal,
ammonium,
and alkylammonium salts of Ca-CZO alcohol sulfates and of C8-C20 fatty acids.
Preferred nonionic surfactants include alkoxylated and polyalkoxylated
compounds.
More preferred nonionic surfactants include ethoxylated- and polyethoxylated-
alkylphenols, -alcohols, -polyols, -fatty acids, -fatty acid amides, and -
carboxylic acids.
Even more preferred nonionic surfactants include the alkylaryl polyethylene
glycols, e.g.,
alkylphenyl ethers of polyethylene glycol.
Preferred soaps may be one or more of the natural soaps, neat soaps,
insecticidal
or antibacterial soaps; the oil soaps or castile soaps; the household or
commercial cleaners
or degreasers; the oil-spiked, extract-spiked, or saponified botanical oil-
based soaps such
as soaps comprising, e.g., an oil, saponified oil, or extract of citronella
(or citronellol or
rhodinol), pine (or terpineol), cedarwood, sandalwood, wormwood, lemon grass.
citrus
(e.g., lemon), lavender, eucalyptus, sassafras, neem tree, balsam, niaouli,
cajeput, clove,
cubeb, thyme, garlic, wintergreen, peppermint or another mint, American
wormseed,
Levant wormseed, Juniperus spp., or Chrysanthemum spp., or comprising, e.g.,
an
additive such as menthol, menthane, sobrerol, camphor, or anethole, or
comprising a
mixture thereof; or the mixtures thereof. Preferably, the soap-type surfactant
will
comprise a peppermint soap, i.e. a soap preparation comprising a peppermint
oil or
peppermint extract additive or a saponified peppermint oil.
Preferred detergent builders include the alkali metal-borates, -
tripolyphosphates,
-pyrophosphates, -phosphates, -sesquicarbonates, -carbonates, -silicates, -
aluminosilicates,
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-nitrilotriacetates, -citrates, -EDTAtes, and mixtures thereof. A most
preferred builder is
sodium borate.
In a preferred embodiment, the detergent component will make up about 85 k or
less by dry weight of the composition. Preferably, about 85 % or less by dry
weight of
surfactants are used in the composition, more preferably about 75 % or less.
Where a
mixture of surfactant(s) is utilized, about half or more of the surfactants
may preferably
be anionic (at least about 50 25 % by weight) and about half or less may
preferably be
nonionic (as much as about 50 25 % by weight). The composition may comprise,
as part
of the detergent component, preferably about 25 % or less by dry weight of
soap(s), more
preferably about 5-15%, and still more preferably about 5-10%. Where the
detergent
component comprises detergent builder(s), either alone or together with
surfactant(s),
e.g., soap(s), preferably about 50% or less by drv weight of the composition
comprises
builder, more preferably about 2-10 %, and still more preferably about 5 %.
Commercially available enzyme and surfactant mixtures or enzyme-containing
fermentation products can be employed in a preferred embodiment. A preferred
mixture
is Bacto-Zyme*produced by International Enzymes, Inc. of Las Vegas, Nevada;
other
preferred enzyme mixtures are sold as the " 150, "" 150N ,"" 300, " and " 300N
" products
available from Great Lakes Biosystems, Inc. of Kenosha, Wisconsin. Bacto-Zyme
comprises proteases, lipases, cellulases, and amylases, among other enzymes.
Such
mixtures and products may be prepared according to the methods taught in U.S.
3,561,944, U.S. 3,635,797, and ZA 6,908,059 (South Africa) to Battistoni et
al. These
are formed by means of enzymatic fermentation of a mixture comprising a simple
sugar
source, a starch source, and a magnesium salt, preferably magnesium sulfate.
The simple
sugar source may comprise a molasses and/or a sugar, e.g., raw or refined cane
or beet
sugar. The simple sugar source is optional; when used, it may also be
substituted or
supplemented with kelp. The starch source may be one or more fermentable
carbohydrate sources, such as barley, wheat, oat, millet, rice, corn, tapioca,
potato, sago,
canna, dasheen, legume (i.e. bean or pea), or other cereal grain or plant
carbohydrate
storage organ malt or mash, or a mixture thereof. Preferably, barley malt or
oat malt or
a mixture thereof is utilized. Fermentation may be carried out using a baker's
or
brewer's yeast, i.e. one or more strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae,
Saccharomyces
carlsbergensis, or mixtures thereof. Upon completion of fermentation, at least
one
surfactant and/or other supplement is added to the fermentation product to
form a
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mixture. Where such a fermentation product or fermentation-surfactant mixture
is used,
the composition will comprise preferably about 10-65% by dry weight (i.e.
including the
water content of molasses, but excluding the weight of added water) of it,
more
preferably about 20-50%, and still more preferably about 25-50%. The
commercially
available enzyme and surfactant mixtures -- or the commercially available
enzyme-
containing fermentation products themselves -- may be supplemented with any of
the
surfactants (e.g., soaps) and/or enzymes as described above. Likewise, enzyme-
free
fermentation products resulting from fermentation of any of the above-
described starch
sources, followed by purification to remove such enzymes, may be supplemented
with
any of the surfactants (e. g. , soaps) described above and any protease or a
protease-other
enzyme mixture as described above.
Irrespective of which source(s) of enzymes and/or surfactants is utilized,
various
nitrogen source(s), acid source(s), buffer(s), oil(s), extract(s), and/or
other additive(s)
may also be included in the composition. Preferred nitrogen sources include,
but are not
limited to, urea, ammonium sulfate, and mixtures thereof. When used, the
nitrogen
source may be present in amount up to about 45 % by dry weight of the
composition.
Where the composition comprises urea, it is preferably about 40% or less bv
dry weight
of the composition, more preferablv about 1-30%, even more preferably about 5-
30%,
still more preferably about 10-30%. If ammonium sulfate is utilized,
preferably about
30% or less by dry weight is present, more preferably about 0.5-30%, still
more
preferably 0.5-20%.
Preferred acid sources include, but are not limited to, one or more of acetic
acid,
ascorbic acid, citric acid, lactic acid, succinic acid, fumaric acid, tartaric
acid, and
phosphoric acid, ammonium and/or metal ion salts thereof, or mixtures thereof;
more
preferably, the acid source comprises citric acid, lactic acid, ascorbic acid,
or a mixture
thereof. Up to about 15% by weight of the composition may comprise an acid
source.
Where citric acid is used, it is preferably about 0.5-5% by dry weight of the
composition,
more preferably about 1-2%; where lactic acid is employed, it is preferably
about 2-10%
by dry weight, and more preferably about 4-8 % by dry weight.
Preferred oils and extracts include, but are not limited to: botanical oils
and
essential botanical extracts such as those of citronella (and citronellol and
rhodinol), pine
(and terpineol), and cedarwood, sandalwood, wormwood, lemon grass, citrus --
e.g.,
lemon, -- lavender, eucalyptus, sassafras, neem tree, balsam, niaouli,
cajeput, clove,
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cubeb, thyme, garlic, wintergreen, peppermint and other mints, American
wormseed,
Levant wormseed, Juniperus spp., and Chrysanthemum spp.; menthol, menthane,
sobrerol, camphor, and anethole; and mixtures thereof. The composition may
comprise
preferably about 5 % by weight of the composition or less of oil(s) and/or
extract(s), more
preferably about 0.1-5 % by dry weight of the composition.
Water is also present in the composition. The amount of water present in the
composition may preferably range from about 60% to about 99.5% by weight of
the
composition.
Other optional additives that may be included in the composition include, but
are
not limited to: alcohols, hydrogen peroxide, glycerin, and borax; sugar
sources, e.g.,
honey, sucrose, corn syrup, molasses, etc.; pest pheromones, pheromone
analogs, and
pheromone-type attractants, e.g., phoromone, 4-methyl-3-heptanone, and pest-
attractive
organoborane derivatives; pest hormones, growth regulators, and their analogs,
e.g.,
methyl 12,14-dihomojuvenate, methyl 12-homojuvenate, methoprene, hydropene,
fenoxycarb, lufenuron, diflubenzuron, hexaflumuron, and cyromazine; botanical
pesticides, e.g., rotenone, ryania (and ryanodine), sabadilla, hellebore,
limonene,
linalool, and nicotene; aluminum-containing compounds of which aqueous
solutions or
slurries may be formed; and mixtures thereof.
Preferred aluminum compounds include, for example: aluminum-halogen
compounds. such as A1C13, A1C13(HZO)1õ Al,(OH)SCI, A1C1;01, and
AI[CO(NH,),](,SO,I,;
aluminum-silicon compounds, such as Al,(SiF6)3 and MgAI2(Si04)2; aluminum
hydroxides,
e.g., Al(OH)3, and aluminum-containing organic compounds including
carboxylates of the
formula A1(OH)3_,,(R),, wherein n is 1, 2, or 3 -- e.g., aluminum diformate,
diacetate, or
subacetate -- and Al2 [C101-I5(OH)(SO3)2]3; aluminum-carbonate compounds, such
as
A1Z(C03)3; aluminum-phosphorous compounds, such as AIPO4; aluminum-sulfates,
e.g.,
Al,(SO4)3, and alums, e.g., NaAI(SO4)2; aluminates, such as NaAIO'; aluminum-
nitrate
compounds, such as Al(NO3)3, Al(OH)Z(NO3), and A1(OH)(N03)Z; and mixtures
thereof.
Where an aluminum compound is added to the composition, it may preferably be
present
at a concentration sufficient to provide about 1% w/v or less of aluminum,
more
preferably about 0.5% w/v or less of aluminum. Preferably, the majority of the
aluminum will be present in the form of dissolved aluminum ion, Al3+. Where
substantially all of the aluminum is present as dissolved Al3+, preferably
about 0.4% w/v
of aluminum may be used.
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The pH of the composition may be controlled using the acids described above
and
may also be controlled using buffer systems such as are known in the art. It
is usually
desirable to maintain a pH of about 2 to about 12, and often preferable to
maintain a pH
of about 4 to about 10. Rarely, a pH of about 1 may be employed. The pH of the
composition may be tailored to the optimal point, i.e. pH or pH range, for
enzymatic
activity. For example, the pH may be acidified and/or buffered either to the
approximate
optimal point for protease activity or to some optimal intermediate point when
a mixture
of enzymes is utilized. A pH of about pH5 is frequently preferred as an
approximate
optimal point when acid proteases are used. The optimal point for the protease
mixture
of Burcotase AL-25 is the range of about pH7 to about pH 10.
In a preferred embodiment of the method of the present invention, the
enzymatic
composition may be applied using any techniques known in the art. For example,
it may
be applied by spraying, pressurized spraying, streaming, injecting, pouring,
soaking,
flooding, splashing, splattering, sprinkling, dripping, drizzling, shampooing,
foaming,
washing, mopping, wiping, spreading, scattering, absorbing, adsorbing,
misting,
vaporizing, and/or fogging said composition, bathing and/or soaking in said
composition,
and/or retaining a pool of said composition. Such preferred embodiments may
further
employ one or more baiting technique(s) in which a pest attractant (e.g., dry
ice as a
carbon dioxide attractant) is used in or in conjunction with said composition.
In any
application or technique used, the enzymatic composition must contact the body
-- e.g.,
head, thorax, and/or abdomen -- of the pest for the method to work. The
concentration
of the composition and/or the volume of composition to be applied may depend
on the
species of pest infesting the site to be treated.
The optimal mode(s) of application will vary with the type of pest and
specific
environmental conditions present at an infestation site. In some cases it is
desirable to
use a direct contact mode of application and, e.g., a spraying technique will
be employed.
Where pests are located in less accessible places such as in structural cracks
in or behind
structural gaps in a building, pavement, fixture, article of furniture, or in
tree bark, either
an injection or a pressurized spraying technique is typically preferred. A
preferred direct
mode of application for structure damaging pests comprises injecting the
composition,
e.g., into "galleries" within the structure where the pest colonies are
located.
Where the infestation comprises an ectoparasite or a dermal, fur, hair, down,
or
feather pest of a mammal, bird, reptile, or plant, e.g., lice, fleas, mites,
chiggers, or
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fungi, a preferred technique involves shampooing and/or washing with said
composition.
Where the infestation comprises a burrowing parasite or intradermal pest, e.
g. , scabies,
mites, or springtails, a preferred technique involves bathing and soaking in
said
composition.
Other preferred modes include indirect contact modes wherein the composition
may be applied to a pest-accessible surface so that an insect or arachnid pest
may
"voluntarily" come into contact with the composition. With some pests, e. g. ,
scorpions,
a water-trap technique may be preferred in which a container retaining a pool
of the
composition is set out and when the pest approaches the pool, it contacts the
enzymatic
composition or even falls into the pool, and drowns and/or is dissolved. In
another
preferred indirect mode of application for structure-damaging pests such as
drywood
termites, the composition is suffused or soaked into or onto a structural
object such as a
piece of wood which is within, or is placed within, the reach of the pests. In
this
technique, the structural object must be made of a pest-chewable substance,
i.e. a
substance which is ingestible or digestible by the pest or is pierceable by or
manipulable
by the mandible(s), palp(s), pincer(s), or proboscis of the pest. In this way,
the pest can
come into contact with the enzymatic composition.
The indirect modes of application may also comprise baiting said composition
by
adding an insect or arachnid pest attractant to the composition or otherwise
employing a
pest attractant in conjunction with the composition. For example, the
composition may
comprise bait such as: a sweet attractant, e. g. , a fermentation product or
sugar source as
described above; a pest pheromone-type attractant such as a pest pheromone,
pheromone
analog, or pheromone-type attractant as described above; a carbon dioxide
attractant,
e.g., chunks of dry ice or a stream of bottled carbon dioxide gas; and or a
light attractant
comprising a waterproof light, whether continuous or blinking, white or
colored, may be
added to the composition. Where the bait is used in conjunction with the
composition, a
sweet or pheromone attractant, a carbon dioxide attractant -- such as dry ice,
a candle
flame or other combustion flame, or a stream of bottled carbon dioxide gas --
and/or a
light attractant -- i.e. a continuous or a blinking light, whether white or
colored (e.g.,
green or "black" light) -- is placed, e.g., adjacent to or above the
composition. A
preferred baiting technique involves placing one or more pest pheromone
packet(s), above
the level of the composition, upon the inside walls of a container partially
filled with the
composition. Another preferred baiting technique involves placing a continuous
white or
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black light or a blinking green light above an open container of the
composition. A
further preferred baiting technique comprises placing a candle or other
combustion flame
above a pooi of the composition, e.g., by affixing a vertically standing
candle to the
bottom of the composition-containing pool, or where a ring-shaped container is
employed,
placing the burning candle or other combustion flame within the ring. The site
of the
attractant may, additionally or alternatively, be periodically sprayed,
misted, or fogged
with the composition.
The method of the present invention has been found effective against
invertebrate
pests at all stages of development, from egg to larva to adult. In many cases
it is also
effective at dissolving the nest of the pest: for example, paper wasp nests
and the
immature pests they contain can be disintegrated on contact. A non-exhaustive
list of
pests which have been successfully eradicated by the method of the present
invention
includes black ants, fire ants, carpenter ants, Pharaoh ants, termites,
roaches (all varieties
tested), bark lice, book lice, hair lice, crab lice, body lice, louse nits,
fleas, scabies,
psocids, scale insects, bees, wasps, hornets, yellowjackets, bedbugs, earwigs,
silverfish,
springtails, sowbugs, pillbugs, millipedes, centipedes, gnats, fungus gnats,
midges, dust
mites, chiggers, bird mites, skin mites, spider mites, spiders, scorpions,
mosquitoes, fruit
flies, horse flies, deer flies, house flies, maggots, sewer flies, black
flies, moths, fabric
moths, gypsy moths, tent moths, beetles, carpet beetles, drug store beetles,
crickets,
grasshoppers, aphids, grubs, cutworms, slugs, pet and cattle pests, fabric and
pantry
pests, occasional invaders, soil pests, and lawn, garden, orchard, crop, and
forestry pests
including ectoparasites of bark, leaves, roots, shoots, seeds, fruits, and so
forth. The
method of the present invention has also been found effective at decreasing or
eliminating
the incidence of allergic reaction to dust. Although not wishing to be bound
to any
particular theory, it is believed that this decreased incidence of allergic
reaction may be
due to the enzyme's or enzymes' degradation of allergenic dust mite proteins.
The method of the present invention has also been found effective against
microbe
pests including bacteria, algae, and fungi. For example, algae and organic
debris present
as undesireable material filling ponds have been eliminated by applying the
enzyme-
containing composition of the present invention to the pond water and mixing
it therewith.
Although not wishing to be bound to any particular theory, it is believed that
this effect is
a result of the enzymes or enzymes' destruction of, e.g., the algal mats by
degrading the
cell walls of the algae and the peptidomucous making up these mats.
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In addition, the method of the present invention has been found effective at
eliminating fungal infestations. For example, application of the enzyme-
containing
composition according to the method of the present invention has eliminated:
powdery
mildew, copper spot, sooty mold, Pythium blight, fruit rot molds, Fusarium,
Septoria leaf
spot, Puccinia spp. rusts, and various smuts from growing plants; and ringworm
fungus,
athlete's foot fungus, and jungle rot fungus infestations from mammals. Such
treatment
has also been found effective to control scalpal, fungal seborrheic dermatitis
on mammals.
Application of the enzyme-containing composition of the present invention has
also been
found to eliminate the incidence of (airborne) fungal-based allergic reactions
in the indoor
environment.
Moreover, in testing the methods of the present invention, it has been found
that,
by altering the concentration of the enzyme-containing pesticidal composition,
certain
insect pest species may be killed while others will survive treatment. For
example, at a
1:500 water dilution, the enzyme-containing, pesticidal composition has been
found to kill
soft-shelled pests including aphids; leaf miners, and mites, while having
little or no effect
on either beetles, such as the beneficial lady bug beetles, nor Aschersonia
species of
beneficial fungi. However, at much higher concentrations all insects,
including beetles,
were destroyed.
Example 1
A solution of Bacto-Zyme cleaner (containing enzyme(s) and surfactant(s)) was
prepared by combining 1 part by volume of Bacto-Zyme with 8 parts by volume
water
and a sprayer was filled with this solution. A grammar school building in
which a 4 inch
wide column of arrny ants extended throughout the entire length of the main
hallway was
sprayed and the column was sprayed back to the ants' point of entry, which was
also
copiously sprayed. The ants were dissolved on contact and their scent trail
was
apparently destroyed, as no further ants appeared following treatment.
Example 2
A solution as prepared in Example 1 was sprayed throughout a grammar school
building in which roaches, at night, were seen to be covering over 75 % of
available wall
and floor surfaces, in spite of heavy, regular applications of traditional
pesticides. The
roaches were quickly dissolved. Copious spraying was then continued in and
around the
sinks, drains, and structural cracks and gaps of the building. No live roaches
were noted
in the building for approximately 3 months thereafter.
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Example 3
A concentrated solution was prepared as follows. 5% by weight of Burcotase AL-
25 was dissolved in a castile soap solution comprising 5 % by weight of sodium
borate
and 5% peppermint oil. This concentrate was diluted 1 part in 4 with water to
form a
working solution. This solution was sprayed in an elementary school building
which was
heavily and regularly treated -- to no avail -- with traditional pesticides to
combat a
round-the-clock Oriental roach infestation. The drains, gaps, cracks, and the
areas
beneath the sinks were also copiously sprayed according to the method of the
present
invention, and the carpeted areas were shampooed therewith. No more roaches
appeared
for over 4 months following treatment.
Example 4
A 10 gallon carboy was filled with a solution as prepared in Example 1. An
anthill 5 feet in diameter, housing a large black ant colony in a farm field
was soaked
with the enzymatic solution. The colony was completely destroyed and the
anthill
collapsed on itself.
Example 5
A pharmacy which had a persistent drug store beetle infestation under the
surface
of the countertop was sprayed with the solution as prepared in Example 1 and
the solution
was injected into the space beneath the countertop. In spite of the resilience
of this
species of beetle (they are known to eat strychnine and pyrethrin-type
pesticides), the
method of the present invention permanently eliminated this entrenched
infestation.
Example 6
A house with a Pharaoh ant infestation was treated according to the method of
the
present invention. Prior, traditional pesticide treatment of the single colony
living within
the confines of the house had, predictably, triggered the natural response of
this species to
divide the colony. As a result, there were now at least three colonies living
within the
confines of the house. Treatment of the infestation with the solution as
prepared in
Example 1, according to the method of the present invention, eliminated all
three colonies
and no colony subdivisions were formed.
Example 7
A school wherein over 50% of students had chronic head lice reinfestations was
treated according to the method of the present invention. In spite of the
teachers' and
parents having tried three commercially available products as well as
repeatedly
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laundering all clothes and fabrics, the reinfestation problem remained. The
school was
sprayed and shampooed with the solution as prepared in Example 1. The source
of the
infestation was eliminated and the reinfestation problem was resolved.
Although not wishing to be bound to any particular theory, it is believed that
the
method of the present invention works as follows. Upon contact with an
invertebrate
pest, the protease(s) may directly attack the protein zipper which holds the
halves of the
insect or arachnid exoskeleton together, normally until molting begins, or may
attack the
substance of the proteinaceous body of other invertebrate, e.g., mollusk,
pests. The use
of a detergent component in the enzymatic composition may enhance this action
by
allowing the composition to penetrate any waxy cuticle or proteinaceous
coating covering
the body of the pest. This appears to permit the enzyme(s) of the composition
to
penetrate to the exoskeleton or body itself. Where cellulase(s), amvlase(s),
glycosidase(s), and/or chitinase(s) are used along with the protease(s), they
may directly
attack the matrix of the insect, arachnid, or crustacean exoskeleton, which is
often
composed of chitin, a cellulose derivative. The differing types and/or
thicknesses of
exoskeleton in different pest species may account for the need to apply a
greater volume
or concentration of the composition in some cases than in others. Where the
pest ingests
the composition, the enzymes therein may also cause internal degradation in
the pest. It
is believed that enzymatic attack to the body of the pest, whether by such, or
other,
routes, may likely be responsible for the effective killing action afforded by
the present
method. Because, in the above-described preferred embodiments, a detergent
component
is employed in the composition, the method of the present invention is
typically self-
cleaning, thus helping to provide residual non-toxicity.
The advantages of the methods and compositions described herein are seen in
that
the widespread use of large quantities of costly synthetic organic pesticides
may be
significantly reduced or replaced by the methods of the present invention. For
example,
the practice of spraying highly toxic methyl bromide upon fruit and nut groves
may be
effectively replaced with the use of inexpensive, low- and non-toxic enzyme-
containing
compositions according to the methods of the present invention.
Variations of the methods and compositions described herein as a preferred
embodiment may be apparent to those skilled in the art once they have studied
the above
description. For example, it may be apparent that the composition utilized in
the present
method may be solutions or suspensions of one or more of the commercially
available
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protease enzyme-containing products, such as enzyme-containing meat
tenderizers,
digestive aids, fabric detergents, stain removers, dishwashing products,
household
cleaners, water treatments, sewage treatments, and so forth. Variations such
as these are
considered to be within the scope of the invention, which is intended to be
limited only to
the scope of the claims and the reasonably equivalent materials and methods to
those
defined therein. The foregoing examples illustrate a preferred embodiment of
the
invention. Various changes can be made without departing from the invention as
defined
in the appended claims, which are to be interpreted in accordance with the
principles of
patent law including the Doctrine of Equivalents.
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