Tick ​​repellent

Abstract

To provide a mite control agent.SOLUTION: A mite control agent contains ant-derived components. Preferably, the mite control agent contains C21-50 linear or branched unsaturated hydrocarbons. More preferably, the number of unsaturated bonds is 1-6 in the mite control agent.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to acaricides and the like. [Background technology]

[0002] Mites are known to cause damage to agricultural crops, and spider mites in particular are important agricultural pests that inflict damage on cultivated crops and other plant tissues by sucking sap from the underside of leaves. Various methods are used to control them, including pesticides containing various effective acaricidal ingredients such as pyrazole-pyridazinone, macrolide, pyrrole, and oxazoline, biological control using biological pesticides such as phytoseiid mites and filamentous fungi, physical control using sticky boards and ultraviolet irradiation, and the use of oils derived from natural products as stomatal blocking agents. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-024583 A [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 58-72503 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 52-151149 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Currently, synthetic acaricides are widely used, but due to the biological characteristics of spider mites, such as parthenogenesis, high reproductive ability, rapid generation change, inbreeding, and high ability to metabolize foreign substances, they easily develop drug resistance in a short period of time, and the issue is that the period during which the drug loses its effectiveness is short. In fact, even among the drugs that have been developed and sold so far, the changes in the main acaricidal ingredients are particularly remarkable compared to other pest species. In addition, although biological control is effective, it is necessary to constantly replenish the natural enemy species used as biological pesticides, which is a problem in that it places a large financial burden on farmers when considering sustainable use. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The present inventors discovered that the Kanzawa spider mites avoid the tracks (footprints) of the water ants, and made further improvements.

[0006] The present disclosure includes, for example, the subject matter described in the following sections: Section 1. A mite control agent containing ingredients derived from ants. Section 2. A mite control agent containing a straight-chain or branched unsaturated hydrocarbon having 21 to 50 carbon atoms. Section 3. The linear unsaturated hydrocarbon has 21 to 35 carbon atoms, Item 3. The mite control agent according to Item 2, wherein the branched unsaturated hydrocarbon has 23 to 50 carbon atoms. Section 4. Item 4. The mite-controlling agent according to Item 2 or 3, having 1 to 6 unsaturated bonds. Section 5. the linear unsaturated hydrocarbon has 1 to 3 unsaturated bonds, Item 5. The mite-controlling agent according to any one of Items 2 to 4, wherein the branched unsaturated hydrocarbon has 1 to 6 unsaturated bonds. Section 6. Item 6. The mite-controlling agent according to any one of Items 2 to 5, wherein the branched chain constituting the branched unsaturated hydrocarbon is an alkyl group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms. Section 7. Item 7. The mite control agent according to any one of Items 1 to 6, wherein the mite is a spider mite. Effect of the Invention

[0007] A novel mite control agent is provided. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] Schematic diagrams of the method for evaluating spider mites' avoidance of ant traces on leaves (a, b) and the method for evaluating the repellency of ant extracts by spider mites using a T-shaped path (c) are shown. [Diagram 2]1 shows the results of evaluating the duration of avoidance of the tracks of water ants by the Kanzawa spider mites. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Each embodiment included in the present disclosure will be described in further detail below. The mite control agent included in the present disclosure includes an unsaturated hydrocarbon. The mite control agent included in the present disclosure may also include an unsaturated hydrocarbon as an active ingredient. In this specification, the mite control agent may be referred to as the "mite control agent of the present disclosure."

[0010] The unsaturated hydrocarbon used in the present disclosure may be a straight-chain unsaturated hydrocarbon or a branched unsaturated hydrocarbon. From the viewpoint of availability, the straight-chain unsaturated hydrocarbon is preferable.

[0011] The unsaturated hydrocarbon used in the present disclosure preferably has a carbon number of 21 to 50. The upper or lower limit of the range may be, for example, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, or 49. More specifically, it may be, for example, 23 to 47 or 23 to 31. The number of carbon atoms in the linear unsaturated hydrocarbon used in the present disclosure may be 21 to 35. The upper or lower limit of the range may be, for example, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, or 34. More specifically, it may be, for example, 23 to 35. The number of carbon atoms in the branched unsaturated hydrocarbon used in the present disclosure may be 23 to 50. The upper or lower limit of the range may be, for example, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, or 49. More specifically, it may be, for example, 25 to 47.

[0012] The unsaturated bond in the unsaturated hydrocarbon used in the present disclosure is preferably a double bond. The unsaturated hydrocarbon used in the present disclosure preferably has an unsaturated bond number of 1 or more. The upper or lower limit of the range may be, for example, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6. More specifically, it may be, for example, 1 to 6. The number of unsaturated bonds in the linear unsaturated hydrocarbon used in the present disclosure may be 1 to 3. For example, it may be 1 to 2, or it may be 1. The number of unsaturated bonds in the branched unsaturated hydrocarbon used in the present disclosure may be 1 to 6. For example, it may be 1 to 5, 1 to 4, 1 to 3, or 1 to 2. The unsaturated hydrocarbon used in the present disclosure is not particularly limited, but when there is one double bond, it may be an unsaturated hydrocarbon having an unsaturated bond at the 7th, 9th, or 11th position. When there are two double bonds, it may be an unsaturated hydrocarbon having an unsaturated bond in combination with the structure [-C=CCC=C-] at the 7th and 10th positions, or the 9th and 12th positions. When there are three double bonds, it may be an unsaturated hydrocarbon having an unsaturated bond in combination with the structure [-C=CCC=CCC=C-] at the 7th, 10th, and 13th positions, or the 9th, 12th, and 15th positions. The unsaturated hydrocarbon used in the present disclosure may have a double bond configuration of either E or Z. In particular, when the unsaturated hydrocarbon has one double bond, the double bond preferably has a Z configuration.

[0013] In the branched unsaturated hydrocarbons used in the present disclosure, examples of the branched chain include alkyl groups having 1 to 3 carbon atoms (such as methyl, ethyl, and propyl groups). Among these, the methyl group is preferred.

[0014] In the branched unsaturated hydrocarbons used in the present disclosure, the number of branches may be, for example, 1 to 4. The upper or lower limit of the range may be, for example, 2 or 3. More specifically, it may be, for example, 2 to 3.

[0015] The unsaturated hydrocarbon used in the present disclosure may be a synthetic product or an extract, and may be extracted from a natural product or commercially available, but is not particularly limited thereto. Examples of the extract include solvent extraction of ant secretions. Examples of ants include Formica japonica, Pristomyrmex punctatus, Tetramorium caespitum, Crematogaster, and Lasius. Among these, Formica japonica and Pristomyrmex punctatus are preferred. Examples of the secretions include those from the tarsus and body surface. Examples of the solvent include hexane and diethyl ether. Among these, hexane is preferred.

[0016] More specifically, examples of unsaturated hydrocarbons used in the present disclosure include linear unsaturated hydrocarbons such as tricosene, pentacosene, heptacosene, nonacosene, hentriacontene, pentacosadiene, and pentatriacontene, and examples of branched unsaturated hydrocarbons include methylpentatriacontene, trimethylpentatriacontene, trimethylpentatriacontadiene, trimethylheptatriacontene, trimethylheptatriacontadiene, trimethylheptatriacontatriene, dimethylnonatriacontatriene, trimethylnonatriacontadiene, trimethylnonatriacontatriene, and methylhentetracosene. Examples of the tetracontatriene include pentacosene, dimethylpentacosene, dimethylpentacosene, trimethylpentacosene, methyltritetracontatriene, dimethyltritetracontatriene, dimethyltritetracontatriene, trimethyltritetracontatriene, dimethylpentatetracontadiene, dimethylpentatetratriacontatriene, dimethylpentatetracontatetraene, trimethylpentatetracontatriene, dimethylheptatetracontadiene, dimethylheptatetracontatriene, dimethylheptatetracontatriene, trimethylheptatetracontatriene, etc. More preferably, pentacosene, heptacosene, nonacosene, hentriacontene, etc. More preferably, 9Z-pentacosene, 9Z-heptacosene, 9Z-nonacosene, 9Z-hentriacontene, etc.

[0017] The unsaturated hydrocarbons may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

[0018] In the mite control agent of the present disclosure, the content of linear or branched unsaturated hydrocarbons having 21 to 50 carbon atoms is not particularly limited and can be appropriately set within the range of, for example, 0.1 to 100 mass %.

[0019] When the mite control agent of the present disclosure contains two or more types of linear or branched unsaturated hydrocarbons having 21 to 50 carbon atoms, the content ratio of the linear or branched unsaturated hydrocarbons having 21 to 50 carbon atoms is not particularly limited and can be set as appropriate. In the mite control agent of the present disclosure, the content of linear or branched unsaturated hydrocarbons having 21 to 33 carbon atoms, more preferably linear or branched unsaturated hydrocarbons having 23 to 31 carbon atoms, relative to the total amount of linear or branched unsaturated hydrocarbons having 21 to 50 carbon atoms may be 5% by mass or more. The upper or lower limit of the range may be, for example, about 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, or 100% by mass. More specifically, it may be, for example, 5 to 100% by mass. In the mite control agent of the present disclosure, the content of linear or branched unsaturated hydrocarbons having 21 to 50 carbon atoms and one double bond may be 5% by mass or more relative to the total amount of linear or branched unsaturated hydrocarbons having 21 to 50 carbon atoms. The upper or lower limit of the range may be, for example, about 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, or 100% by mass. More specifically, it may be, for example, 5 to 100% by mass. In the mite control agent of the present disclosure, the content of linear unsaturated hydrocarbons having 21 to 50 carbon atoms may be 5% by mass or more relative to the total amount of linear or branched unsaturated hydrocarbons having 21 to 50 carbon atoms. The upper or lower limit of the range may be, for example, about 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, or 100% by mass. More specifically, it may be, for example, 5 to 100% by mass.

[0020] The mite control agent of the present disclosure contains the above-mentioned components and may further contain other components. Examples of the other components include pharma- ceutically acceptable bases, carriers, and additives (e.g., solvents, dispersants, emulsifiers, buffers, stabilizers, excipients, binders, lubricants, antioxidants, preservatives, etc.). These components may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

[0021] The mite control agent of the present disclosure can be prepared by a conventional method by combining the above-mentioned components and, if necessary, other components.

[0022] The form of the mite control agent of the present disclosure is not particularly limited, and may be in a solid form such as a powder, granules, tablet, or capsule form; or in a semi-solid or liquid form such as a liquid, emulsion, or gel.

[0023] The mite targeted by the mite control agent of the present disclosure is preferably an animal belonging to the order Acari. More preferably, the animal belongs to the suborder Trichomonadidae, and even more preferably, the animal belongs to the family Tetranychidae. Examples of animals belonging to the family Tetranychidae include Tetranychus kanzawai, Tetranychus urticae, Panonychus citri, and Panonychus ulmi. Furthermore, the mites targeted by the mite control agent of the present disclosure may be mites that are preyed upon by ants.

[0024] The mite control agent of the present disclosure can be used to control mites. In addition, since the mite control agent of the present disclosure has a repellent effect against mites, it can be more suitably used as a mite repellent. Since the mite control agent of the present disclosure contains a predator-derived component, it is expected that resistance will not easily develop, which is expected to enable long-term use.

[0025] The mite control agent of the present disclosure can be applied to, for example, plants such as crops and fruit trees, the soil in which they are grown, undergrowth that serves as a habitat for mites, materials of facilities (e.g., vinyl greenhouses and glass greenhouses) that serve as routes for mites to move, house walls, concrete surfaces, and the like.

[0026] Plants to which the mite control agent of the present disclosure is applied are not particularly limited as long as mites can establish thereon, and examples thereof include vegetables such as beans, eggplants, cucumbers, potatoes, strawberries, melons, and the like; fruit trees such as apples, pears, peaches, persimmons, citrus, apricots, and the like; and flowering plants such as roses, chrysanthemums, carnations, and the like.

[0027] The mite control agent of the present disclosure may be applied as is, or may be applied as a suspension in a solvent such as water.

[0028] The method of application of the mite control agent of the present disclosure is not particularly limited and can be appropriately set depending on the form of the mite control agent of the present disclosure. For example, it can be sprayed onto plants, soil, facility materials, house walls, concrete surfaces, etc.

[0029] The application amount of the mite control agent of the present disclosure is not particularly limited and can be set appropriately depending on the form of the mite control agent of the present disclosure, the target of application, etc.

[0030] The present disclosure also includes mite control agents that contain ant-derived components. The ant-derived component is preferably an ant secretion compound. Examples of ants include Formica japonica, Pristomyrmex punctatus, Tetramorium caespitum, Crematogaster, Lasius, etc. Among them, Formica japonica and Pristomyrmex punctatus are preferred. Examples of the secretion site include the tarsus and the body surface. The ant-secreted compounds used in the present disclosure may be compounds secreted by ants, or may be artificially synthesized compounds as long as they have the same structure as the secreted compounds. As the ant secretion compound, unsaturated hydrocarbons are preferable. For the unsaturated hydrocarbons, the above description can be applied.

[0031] In addition, in this specification, the term "comprising" includes "consisting essentially of" and "consisting of." In addition, the present disclosure includes all arbitrary combinations of the constituent features described in this specification.

[0032] In addition, the various characteristics (properties, structures, functions, etc.) described in each embodiment of the present disclosure above may be combined in any way to specify the subject matter included in the present disclosure. In other words, the present disclosure includes all subject matter consisting of all combinations of each combinable characteristic described in this specification. EXAMPLES

[0033] The contents of the present disclosure will be specifically explained using the following experimental examples. However, the present disclosure is not limited to these in any way. In the following, unless otherwise specified, the experiments are performed under atmospheric pressure and room temperature conditions. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, "%" means "mass %". Furthermore, the blending amount value of each component listed in each table also indicates "mass %" unless otherwise specified.

[0034] Spider Mites Tetranychus kanzawai was collected in Kyoto, Japan in 2018. Tetranychus urticae was collected in Nara, Japan in 1998. These populations were reared on fully expanded first leaves of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) plants pressed onto water-saturated cotton in Petri dishes. The water-soaked cotton acted as a barrier to prevent the mites from escaping. The leaf dishes were placed in transparent plastic containers and stored at 25°C, 60% relative humidity, and a photoperiod of 16L (7:00-23:00):8D.

[0035] Ants More than 100 Japanese ants (Pristomyrmex punctatus Smith) and Japanese wood ants (Formica japonica Motschoulsky) were collected in Kyoto, Japan. The ants were kept in artificial ant colonies in clear plastic containers. The ants were provided with water and honey twice a week and freshly killed insects as a protein source every week.

[0036] Experimental example 1: Avoiding spider mites leaving ant marks (footprints) on leaves To investigate whether spider mites avoid ant traces on the surface of food plants, we conducted experiments in a device that connected leaf surfaces with and without ant traces. All experiments described below were conducted between 13:00 and 17:00. A flat bean leaf measuring 10 × 20 mm was cut into two equal pieces measuring 10 × 10 mm, and one leaf was placed on a wet paper towel in front of the entrance to the ant nest, like a doormat, to leave ant traces (Figure 1a). A leaf with more than 20 ants walking across it on wet cotton was moved next to a leaf with no other ant traces. Then, a mature 2-4 day old female Kanzawa spider mite or two-spotted spider mite was placed on a piece of parafilm placed at the border of both leaves (Figure 1b). After 1 hour, the leaf on which the prey mites were established was recorded. It was confirmed that all females had established themselves on a particular leaf position within that time. 28 two-spotted spider mites and 27 Kanzawa spider mites were used to evaluate the traces of the Japanese ant, and 16 two-spotted spider mites and 12 Kanzawa spider mites were used to evaluate the traces of the Japanese ant. The data were subjected to a binomial-opposition binomial test with a common null hypothesis that the spider mites have equal probability (i.e., 0.5) of establishing in the two squares. The results are shown in Table 1. In the table, Trace+ refers to the test area with ant traces, and Trace- refers to the control area without ant traces.

[0037] [Table 1]

[0038] As shown in Table 1, it was confirmed that the Kanzawa spider mite, which lives sympatrically with the reticulated ant, which preys on spider mites, avoids traces of the reticulated ant. It was also found that the two-spotted spider mite, which rarely lives sympatrically with the reticulated ant in the field, avoids traces of the reticulated ant. Furthermore, it was found that the Kanzawa spider mite and the two-spotted spider mite also avoid traces of the Japanese mountain ant.

[0039] Experimental example 2: Duration of avoidance of the tracks of the Japanese spider mites by the Kanzawa spider mites To examine whether the effectiveness of ant traces in repelling spider mites decreases over time, leaves with traces of water ants were prepared as in Experimental Example 1 and stored in water-soaked cotton for 1 hour (n=28), 3 hours (n=37), or 24 hours (n=32). The prepared leaves were transferred next to leaves without ant traces that had been stored for the same period, and the avoidance response of female Kanzawa spider mites was compared in the same manner as in Experimental Example 1. The results are shown in Figure 2. In the figure, + indicates the test area with ant traces, and - indicates the control area without ant traces.

[0040] As shown in Figure 2, females of T. kanzawai significantly avoided the traces of the water ants on leaves stored for 0 and 1 hour, but did not avoid the traces on leaves stored for 3 and 24 hours (binomial test). This suggests that the repellent effect of T. kanzawai against the traces of the water ants lasts for at least 1 hour.

[0041] Experimental Example 3: Repellency of the extract of the water ant by the Kanzawa spider mite To extract chemical traces of the reticulated ants, 20 ants were introduced into a glass petri dish (45 mm in diameter, 16 mm deep) and covered with a glass slide (76 × 24 mm, Matsunami Glass Co., Ltd., Kishiwada, Japan). After 1 h, all ants were removed and the inner wall of the dish was washed with 500 μL of hexane. To combine all the extracts and obtain enough extracts for the next experiment, this procedure was repeated 20 times with different ants to obtain reticulated ant trace extracts. For the control solvent, the same amount of hexane was poured into the dish that had been left without ants for 1 h, and the solvent was combined in the above manner. To examine the repellency of the ant trail extract by females of the Kanzawa spider mite, an experiment was conducted using a T-shaped filter paper channel (35 × 35 mm, 2 mm wide) (Fig. 1c). One channel (17.5 mm long) of the T-shaped channel was applied with 0.175 ant equivalents (i.e., 5 μL) of the hexane extract (i.e., 0.01 ant equivalents / mm) and the other channel was applied with the control solvent hexane. After evaporating the solvent from the channels, the T-channels were hung vertically and a 2-day-old female Kanzawa spider mite was introduced to the lower end of the T-channel and the first path that the female walked to the far end was recorded. Each female mite and T-shaped filter paper were used only once. The same path apparatus was also used to examine the repellency of 6-amyl-2-pyrone, an active substance of the trail pheromone of the Japanese ant, by females of the Kanzawa spider mite. The compound was purchased as a reagent (Tokyo Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.) and diluted with hexane to concentrations of 10 and 1 pg / μL. The solutions were applied to one path of the T-shaped path at amounts of 0.011 and 0.0011 ant equivalents / mm, respectively. The same amount of hexane, a control solvent, was also applied to the other path. The repellency of females of the Kanzawa spider mite was tested in the same manner as described above. The results are shown in Table 2 (binomial test). In the table, Trace+ refers to the test area where the trace extract or trail pheromone was applied, and Trace- refers to the control area where the trace extract and trail pheromone were not applied.

[0042] [Table 2]

[0043] Kanzawa spider mites were significantly less likely to choose paths coated with the extract of reticulated ant trails (binomial test, P<0.0001), confirming that they avoid the extract of reticulated ant trails. On the other hand, no significant difference was observed when the trails were coated with the trail pheromone of reticulated ants (binomial test). This suggests that Kanzawa spider mites do not avoid the trail pheromone of reticulated ants.

[0044] Experimental Example 4: Repellency of trace extracts and body wax extracts of Japanese black wood ants and Japanese ant Trace extracts were obtained using the same method as in Experimental Example 3 using the Japanese wood ant and the Japanese water ant. Separately, each species of ant was immersed in 0.1 mL of hexane for 5 minutes to obtain a surface wax extract, and the hydrocarbon components eluted with hexane were fractionated using silica gel column chromatography.

[0045] Using the same route device as in Experiment 3, the repellency of the female Kanzawa spider mite extracts of various ant traces and the cuticular hydrocarbon components applied in an equivalent amount was examined. The results are shown in Table 3.

[0046] [Table 3]

[0047] The Kanzawa spider mites were significantly less likely to choose paths coated with the cuticular hydrocarbon components of the reticulated ant as well as the trace extract of the reticulated ant (binomial test, P<0.001), confirming that the Kanzawa spider mites avoid the cuticular hydrocarbons of the reticulated ant as well as the trace extract of the reticulated ant. It was also confirmed that the Kanzawa spider mites avoided the cuticular hydrocarbon components of the reticulated ant (binomial test, P<0.05) just as they avoided the trace extract of the Japanese wood ant (binomial test, P<0.001).

[0048] Experimental Example 5: Trace extracts and cuticular hydrocarbon composition of the Japanese wood ant and the Japanese ant The trace extracts and cuticular hydrocarbon components obtained from the black wood ant and the Japanese ant were subjected to gas chromatographic analysis in the same manner as in Experimental Examples 3 and 4, respectively, and the component compositions of each ant were compared. The cuticular hydrocarbon components of each component were subjected to gas chromatographic direct mass spectrometry, and the chemical structures were estimated from the obtained mass spectra and retention index values ​​on the gas chromatograph. The composition of the components of the trace extract was estimated by comparing the retention index values ​​on the gas chromatograph with the cuticular hydrocarbon components. The composition ratio was calculated from the peak area ratio in each chromatograph.

[0049] For gas chromatographic analysis, a Shimadzu gas chromatograph analyzer GC2014 was used, and a methylsilicon-based non-polar column with a length of 15 m, an inner diameter of 0.25 mm, and a film thickness of 0.10 μm was used as the analytical column. Sample injection was performed by splitless injection for 1 min, and a hydrogen flame detector (FID) was used to detect the separated components. The temperature of the sample injection port was 300°C, and the temperature of the column oven was set to a maximum temperature of 320°C. For gas chromatograph-directed mass analysis, a GCMS system consisting of an Agilent gas chromatograph GC6890 and a JEOL mass spectrometer SX102 was used. A methylsilicon-based non-polar column of the same specifications as that used for GC analysis was used as the analytical column, and the sample was injected by the cool on-column method. EI mass spectra were measured at an ionization voltage of 70 eV, and the measurement mass range was set to m / z 40-700. The analysis results are shown in Tables 4 and 5.

[0050] [Table 4]

[0051] [Table 5]

[0052] As shown in Table 4, it was found that the trace extracts and cuticular hydrocarbon components of the Japanese black wood ant contain straight-chain hydrocarbons. Among them, it was confirmed that there were many hydrocarbons with carbon numbers of 25, 27, 29, and 31. As for unsaturated hydrocarbons, an unsaturated hydrocarbon with one double bond (a double bond at the 9th carbon counting from the end) was detected. As shown in Table 5, it was found that the trace extracts and cuticular hydrocarbon components of the Japanese ant contain many branched hydrocarbons in addition to straight-chain hydrocarbons. Among them, it was confirmed that there were many hydrocarbons with carbon numbers of 35, 37, 39, 41, 43, 45, and 47. It was also found that the unsaturated hydrocarbons contained in the trace extracts of the Japanese ant had a greater number of double bonds than the unsaturated hydrocarbons contained in the trace extracts and cuticular hydrocarbon components of the Japanese wood ant.

[0053] Experimental Example 6: Repellency of the Kanzawa spider mite to the cuticular hydrocarbons (saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbon components) derived from the Japanese ant and the Japanese wood ant Cuticular hydrocarbon components extracted and fractionated from the Japanese wood ant and the Japanese black wood ant were subjected to silica gel column chromatography containing 10% silver nitrate, and the components eluted successively with hexane, a diethyl ether-hexane mixed solvent (ether content 1%, 2%, 3%, 5%, 30%, 50%), and 100% diethyl ether were fractionated into saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbon components. In the case of the Japanese wood ant, the unsaturated hydrocarbon components with an unsaturation degree of 1 were fractionated into a single fraction. In the case of the Japanese wood ant, the unsaturated hydrocarbon components were fractionated into multiple fractions depending on the degree of unsaturation, so these fractions were combined to form the unsaturated hydrocarbon components and used in the repellency test. The repellency test was carried out in the same manner as in Experimental Example 3, with the treatment dose for the Japanese ant being 0.175 ant equivalents and for the Japanese wood ant being 0.1 ant equivalents.

[0054] [Table 6]

[0055] It was confirmed that the repellent reaction of the Kanzawa spider mite to the hydrocarbon components on the cuticle of the ant was caused by unsaturated hydrocarbon components, not saturated hydrocarbon components (binomial test, P<0.05).It was also confirmed that the repellent reaction of the Kanzawa spider mite to the hydrocarbon components on the cuticle of the ant was caused by unsaturated hydrocarbon components, not saturated hydrocarbon components (binomial test, P<0.001).

[0056] Experimental Example 7: Repellency of unsaturated hydrocarbons contained in extracts of Japanese black wood ant traces by the Kanzawa spider mite Using the unsaturated hydrocarbon compounds contained in the black wood ant, repellency was evaluated using a T-shaped path in the same manner as in Experimental Example 3. The number of individuals that settled on the path where unsaturated hydrocarbons were applied (test area) and the number of individuals that settled on the path that did not contain unsaturated hydrocarbons (control area) are shown below.

[0057] When a mixture containing 2.3% 9Z-pentacosene, 66.7% 9Z-heptacosene, 28.7% 9Z-nonacosene, and 2.3% 9Z-hentriacontene (the same ratios as those listed in Table 4) was used, the control:test ratio was 24:7 (binomial test, p<0.01). It was confirmed that the mixture significantly repelled the Kanzawa spider mites. When mixtures containing 25% 9Z-pentacosene, 25% 9Z-heptacosene, 25% 9Z-nonacosene, and 25% 9Z-hentriacontene were used, the ratio of control to test area was 28:3 (binomial test, p<0.001). It was confirmed that the mixtures significantly repelled the Kanzawa spider mites. When mixtures containing 50% 9Z-heptacosene and 50% 9Z-nonacosene were used, the ratio of control to test area was 22:9 (binomial test, p<0.05). It was confirmed that the mixtures significantly repelled the Kanzawa spider mites. When 9Z-heptacosene was used, the ratio of control to test area was 22:9 (binomial test, p<0.05). It was confirmed that the mixture significantly repelled the Kanzawa spider mites. When 9Z-nonacosene was used, the ratio of control to test area was 23:8 (binomial test, p<0.05). It was confirmed that the mixture significantly repelled the Kanzawa spider mites.

Claims

1. A mite control agent comprising the following (1) or (2): (1) Hexane extract of ant traces; (2) A hydrocarbon-containing hexane-soluble fraction of a hexane extract of ant cuticle wax.

2. a mite control agent containing a linear or branched unsaturated hydrocarbon having 23 to 47 carbon atoms; Here, the unsaturated bond of the unsaturated hydrocarbon is a double bond, the number of unsaturated bonds is 1 to 4, the number of branches in the branched unsaturated hydrocarbon is 1 to 3, and the branched chain constituting the branched unsaturated hydrocarbon is a methyl group.

3. The mite control agent described in claim 2, wherein the number of carbon atoms of the unsaturated hydrocarbon is 23 to 31 and the number of unsaturated bonds is 1 to 3.

4. The mite control agent according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the number of carbon atoms in the unsaturated hydrocarbon is 23 to 31, the number of unsaturated bonds is 1 or 2, and the number of branches in the branched unsaturated hydrocarbon is 1 or 2.

5. The mite control agent according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the mite is a spider mite.

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