Application of 3-Decanone in repelling red imported fire ants

Abstract

This invention discloses the application of 3-decanone in repelling red imported fire ants. The invention utilizes 3-decanone, a chemical substance isolated from *Ixodes spp.*, to repel red imported fire ants. Experimental results show that treatment with 3-decanone at a concentration of 10 μL / mL or higher for 1.5 hours achieves a repellency rate of over 86% against red imported fire ants; even after 12 hours of treatment, a high repellency effect is maintained. 3-Decanone exhibits excellent repellency against red imported fire ants and maintains a certain level of repellent activity over a long period. Furthermore, it is a highly efficient and environmentally friendly compound, and has potential use as a repellent for red imported fire ants in the future.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of red imported fire ant control technology, specifically relating to the application of 3-decanone in repelling red imported fire ants. Background Technology

[0002] Red imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta Buren) are listed as one of my country's major invasive species, posing significant threats to public safety, human health, agricultural and forestry production, and the ecological environment. Their feeding range includes the vegetative organs of crops and other local insects, severely threatening local biodiversity. They also cause significant damage to crops by herding aphids and other honeydew-producing insects. Red imported fire ants are highly aggressive, launching fierce attacks when their nests are disturbed. A red imported fire ant bite causes a burning pain, and blisters appear about a day later. In areas where red imported fire ants are prevalent in my country, approximately 30% of the population has experienced red imported fire ant stings. Of these, 10% of victims develop fever, a small percentage experience dizziness, itching, swelling, and other allergic reactions, and a very small number experience shock, severely impacting people's work and daily lives.

[0003] To date, various insecticides have been used to control red imported fire ants, with over 30 contact insecticides registered in China for their application. However, insecticide use is unsuitable for ecologically sensitive areas such as nature reserves and organic agricultural land, as well as indoor locations like medical and educational facilities. In recent years, the concept of green agriculture has become increasingly prevalent, and green control technologies for red imported fire ants have attracted growing attention from researchers. More and more researchers are focusing on biological control methods using natural plants and competing insects, aiming to develop new and environmentally friendly control approaches. While insecticides can successfully suppress the spread of red imported fire ants, they do not work quickly. Therefore, screening for compounds with repellent activity against red imported fire ants is gaining increasing importance. However, in my country, research on ant repellency started relatively late, and most existing insect repellents on the market target sanitary pests such as mosquitoes, flies, and mites; currently, almost no repellents specifically for red imported fire ants have been commercially available.

[0004] One reason why effective repellent agents have not been commercialized is their potential environmental hazards. Secondly, most effective red imported fire ant repellents are only effective for a short period, with their repellent effect lasting only a short time. Therefore, developing effective and long-lasting red imported fire ant repellents is an important current research direction. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide timely and effective protection, minimize the health hazards of red imported fire ants to humans and animals, and develop a safe, timely, long-lasting red imported fire ant repellent with safe active ingredients and low environmental impact, and apply it to daily protective measures.

[0006] The first objective of this invention is to provide the use of 3-decanone in repelling red imported fire ants.

[0007] Preferably, the red imported fire ants are worker red imported fire ants.

[0008] Preferably, the application is an application to repel red imported fire ants from feeding and / or from digging.

[0009] Preferably, the application includes the following steps: applying 3-decanone to the area where red imported fire ants are to be repelled.

[0010] Preferably, the 3-decanone is used as the active ingredient to repel red imported fire ants, and the concentration of 3-decanone is 5 μL / mL or higher.

[0011] Preferably, the 3-decanone is used as the active ingredient to repel red imported fire ants, and the concentration of 3-decanone is 10 μL / mL or higher.

[0012] The second objective of this invention is to provide a red imported fire ant repellent, wherein 3-decanone is the active ingredient in the red imported fire ant repellent, and the concentration of 3-decanone in the red imported fire ant repellent is 5 μL / mL or higher.

[0013] The beneficial effects of this invention are:

[0014] The 3-decanoone used in this invention to repel red imported fire ants can be isolated from the black-brown ant. As a natural extract, it is very environmentally friendly. Furthermore, experiments have shown that this invention remains effective even after 12 hours, with a long duration of effect and a repellency rate of over 96% against red imported fire ants. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a partial chromatogram of volatiles from a sample of the black-brown ant; among them: peak 1 is 4-nonanone, peak 2 is 3-nonanone, and peak 3 is 3-decanone.

[0016] Figure 2 This is a diagram of the experimental setup; where: a is the setup used in the feeding and avoidance experiment, and b is the setup used in the digging and avoidance experiment.

[0017] Figure 3 This is a graph showing the results of determining the feeding and repellency activity of 3-decanone on red imported fire ant worker ants.

[0018] Figure 4This is a graph showing the results of determining the repellent activity of 3-decanone on the digging behavior of red imported fire ant workers; different characters indicate significant differences between treatments (p<0.05). Detailed Implementation

[0019] The following embodiments are further illustrations of the present invention, but not limitations thereof.

[0020] The 3-decanone used in the following examples was purchased from Shanghai Maclean Biochemical Technology Co., Ltd., with a purity of 98% and a dosage form of soluble concentrate; acetone was purchased from Guangdong Guangshi Reagent Technology Co., Ltd., with a purity of ≥99.5%.

[0021] Example 1

[0022] 1. Materials and Methods

[0023] 1.1 Isolation and Identification of 3-Decanone

[0024] To determine the volatile substances in the venom of the black-brown ant (Aegilops spp.), approximately 200 worker ants were placed in a 250 mL Erlenmeyer flask, sealed with sealing film, and the flask opening was wrapped with a layer of aluminum foil. The ants were disturbed by shaking to induce an active attack state until venom was secreted from their abdomens and dripped onto the stinger. Immediately afterward, a 57310-U manual solid-phase microextraction device and a 65 μm PDMS / DVB extraction fiber were used to perform headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) on the sample for 30 min at room temperature (26±1℃). Before sample analysis, a blank test was performed on the instrument, and the fiber was cleaned in the GC injector for 30 min.

[0025] GC conditions: HP-5MS flexible quartz capillary column (30m × 0.25mm × 0.25μm). Injector temperature: 280℃, helium as carrier gas, carrier gas flow rate: 1.00mL / min. Column temperature program: initial temperature 50℃, hold for 2 min, increase to 280℃ at 10℃ / min, hold for 5 min. Splitless injection, injection volume 1μL. MS conditions: EI ionization, ion source temperature 230℃, electron energy 70eV, quadrupole temperature 150℃, mass scan range 35–550 m / z. The mass spectra were manually analyzed, and the obtained mass spectra were matched with the NIST.14 library for compound identification. The relative content of each component was obtained using the area normalization method.

[0026] 1.2 Repellency test of 3-decanone on red imported fire ants

[0027] 1.2.1 Feeding and Avoidance Experiment

[0028] To determine the feeding and repellent effects of 3-decanoic acid on red imported fire ants, a self-made device 1 (such as...) was used. Figure 2Test a) was conducted. Two plastic boxes were used as the living area and the feeding area, respectively, connected by a connecting tube. Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) was applied to the edges of the boxes to prevent the red imported fire ants from escaping. Before the experiment, the experimental red imported fire ant worker ants (collected from Huadu District, Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province) were starved for 12 hours. At the start of the experiment, 3 ± 0.1 g of the experimental red imported fire ant worker ants were weighed and placed in the living area of ​​the device to adapt to the unfamiliar environment. Then, 1 ± 0.1 g of ham sausage (Shuanghui, Henan Shuanghui Investment Development Co., Ltd.) was weighed and placed in the center of a 7 cm filter paper, and 600 μL of the reagent was added to the filter paper. The solvent of the reagent was acetone with a concentration ≥99.5%, and the solute was 3-decanone. The concentration gradient of 3-decanone in the reagent was set at 0.1 μL / mL, 1 μL / mL, and 10 μL / mL, with acetone with a concentration ≥99.5% serving as a control. Filter paper soaked in different concentration gradients of pesticides was placed 10 cm away from the opening of the connecting tube in the feeding area. The position of the filter paper was adjusted so that the distance between adjacent filter papers was equal. At the beginning of the experiment, the cap of the small connecting tube was opened and the timer was started. The number of foraging red imported fire ants on the filter paper was observed and recorded every 0.5 hours for a total of 1.5 hours.

[0029] 1.2.2 Excavation and Avoidance Experiment

[0030] To determine the repellent effect of 3-decanone on the burrowing behavior of red imported fire ants, a self-made device 2 (such as...) was used. Figure 2 Perform the test as described in section b). Take a 14cm diameter petri dish and evenly coat the inner wall of the petri dish with polytetrafluoroethylene to prevent the red imported fire ants from escaping. Fix a 5mL sample bottle (purchased from Haimen Zhongrui Experimental Equipment Store) at two vertical diameters 4cm away from the center of the dish at the bottom of the petri dish. Use a small electric drill to drill a small hole from the side of the petri dish to the side of the sample bottle (just enough for the red imported fire ants to pass through), connecting the petri dish and the sample bottle.

[0031] Quartz sand (20-40 mesh, Tianjin Huasheng Chemical Reagent Co., Ltd.) was dried to constant weight. Then, 5 mL of the reagent was poured into 50 g of quartz sand and stirred evenly for 5 min. Next, 5 mL of distilled water was added and stirred evenly for another 5 min to ensure thorough mixing. The mixture was then allowed to stand for 5 min. The solvent for the reagent was acetone with a concentration ≥99.5%, and the solute was 3-decanone. A concentration gradient of 3-decanone was set at 5 μL / mL, 10 μL / mL, and 20 μL / mL, with acetone with a concentration ≥99.5% as the control. Each sample vial contained quartz sand treated with different reagents (5 μL / mL, 10 μL / mL, and 20 μL / mL of 3-decanone, with acetone with a concentration ≥99.5% as the control). The weight of the treated quartz sand added was 3 ± 0.1 g. Finally, 50 experimental red imported fire ant worker ants were placed in the petri dish, and the apparatus 2 was placed in the dark and left to stand for 24 hours. The sample bottles were then removed, dried, and the weight of the remaining quartz sand in each bottle was weighed and recorded.

[0032] 1.3 Data Processing and Analysis

[0033] In the feeding and repellency experiment, R = [(CT) / (C+T)] × 100%; R represents the repellency rate; C represents the number of insects remaining on the control filter paper; and T represents the number of insects remaining on the treatment filter paper.

[0034] In the excavation and avoidance experiment, ΔD = Di - Dp; ΔD represents the excavation volume, Di represents the initial mass of quartz sand, and Dp represents the weight of the remaining quartz sand.

[0035] The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to test the normality of the data on red imported fire ant worker population (T) and quartz sand excavation volume (ΔD) in the treatment area. For data conforming to a normal distribution, one-way ANOVA was used to test for homogeneity of variance. For data with homogeneity of variance, one-way ANOVA was used, followed by the Tukey test for multiple comparisons. For data not conforming to a normal distribution and with unequal variances, the Kruskal-Wallis test was used. All data analysis procedures were run on SPPSS 27.0.

[0036] 2. Results

[0037] 2.1 Analysis of GC-MS Measurement Results

[0038] By comparing the chromatograms and mass spectra obtained from GC-MS with the spectral library, the qualitative analysis of some compounds was obtained. The peaks, molecular formulas, and relative contents of the target compounds are shown in Table 1. The chromatogram of the 3-decanone standard sample is shown in Table 1. Figure 1 3 in the middle.

[0039] Table 1. Analysis of partial components of volatile substances from samples of *Aegilops nigra* (black-brown ant)

[0040] Peak position / min Molecular formula molecular weight compound Relative content (%) 10.03 <![CDATA[C 10 H 20 O]]> 156.27 3-Decanone 0.38

[0041] 2.2 Repellent Activity of 3-Decanone Formulation Diluted Solution

[0042] Under indoor conditions, the feeding and burrowing repellent activities of different concentrations of 3-decanone on red imported fire ant worker ants were determined. The experimental setup was as follows: Figure 2 a in Figure 2 As shown in b in the figure.

[0043] In feeding avoidance experiments (e.g.) Figure 3At the same observation time, after 0.5 h of treatment, the number of foraging red imported fire ants in the 10 μL / mL concentration area was significantly lower than that in the control area (CK) and other concentration areas (df = 35, P < 0.01), with a feeding and repellency rate of over 86%. There was no significant difference in the number of foraging red imported fire ants between the 1 μL / mL and 0.1 μL / mL concentrations and the control area (1 μL / mL, df = 35, P = 0.141; 0.1 μL / mL, df = 35, P = 0.795). At 1 h and 1.5 h of treatment, no significant changes were observed, with the 10 μL / mL agent showing the best effect. (Shapiro-Wilk test, 0.5 h, df = 12, P = 0.278; 1 h, df = 12, P = 0.228; 1.5 h, df = 12, P = 0.336). At the same concentration, there was no significant difference in repellency effect over time. After 12 hours of treatment, it was observed that only in the 10 μL / mL concentration area was the number of foraging red imported fire ants significantly lower than in the control area (df = 11, F = 17.202, P = 0.02), with a repellency rate of 96%.

[0044] In excavation avoidance experiments (such as...) Figure 4 After 24 hours, a large amount of quartz sand was excavated and removed from the control group (CK), while the amount of quartz sand excavated from the treatment groups (5 μL / mL, 10 μL / mL, and 20 μL / mL of 3-decanone) was significantly lower than that from the control group (20 μL / mL, df = 7, F = 70.415, P < 0.01; 10 μL / mL, df = 7, F = 70.023, P < 0.01; 5 μL / mL, df = 7, F = 69.856, P < 0.01). There was no significant difference in excavation amount among the treatment groups (df = 11, F = 0.157, P = 0.857).

[0045] The results show that after treatment with 3-decanone at a concentration of 10 μL / mL or higher for 1.5 h, the feeding and repellency rate of red imported fire ant workers reached 86%; after 12 h of treatment, a good repellency effect was still maintained (repellency rate 96%), indicating that 3-decanone has a long-lasting repellent activity against red imported fire ants. After treatment with 3-decanone at a concentration of 5 μL / mL or higher for 24 h, the digging behavior of red imported fire ant workers was significantly reduced. 3-decanone at a concentration of 10 μL / mL or higher has a good repellent effect on red imported fire ants and can be used in future red imported fire ant protective agents; 3-decanone at a concentration of 5 μL / mL or higher can be used as a soil repellent for red imported fire ants.

Claims

1. Application of 3-decanoone in repelling red imported fire ants.

2. The application according to claim 1, characterized in that, The red imported fire ants mentioned are worker red imported fire ants.

3. The application according to claim 1, characterized in that, Applications to repel red imported fire ants from feeding and / or from digging.

4. The application according to claim 1, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: Apply 3-decone to the area where red imported fire ants need to be repelled.

5. The application according to claim 1, characterized in that, The 3-decylone mentioned above is the active ingredient for repelling red imported fire ants, and the concentration of 3-decylone is above 5 µL / mL.

6. The application according to claim 5, characterized in that, The 3-decylone mentioned above is the active ingredient for repelling red imported fire ants, and the concentration of 3-decylone is above 10 µL / mL.

Images