Patent Application
20110033514
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to semiochemical emission devices, and more particularly to chemical lures that have a controlled emission rate of volatilized active agents.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
Chemicals of various types have been used in the insect control art for many years, including pheromones, allomones, kairomones, attractants, and repellants. In many cases, these chemicals are mixed with a carrier that allows the chemicals to be handled more easily, and that may permit controlled release of the chemicals over time. Impregnated gels or other semi-solid compositions are known in the art to be useful for this purpose, and are sold commercially under names such as “Prozap”, “Hot Shot”, “No Pest Strip”, “AromaGel”, “MetaGel”, and others. However, the emission patterns of the active chemicals generally follow an initial large burst, followed by a rapid decrease in emission rate. While the initial burst of active chemical is often effective for combating pests, the rapid decrease in emission rate of active chemical that follows the initial burst renders these compositions much less effective over time. What is needed in the art is a composition and device that controls emission of active chemicals so that a predetermined amount of chemical is emitted over time. The present invention is believed to be an answer to that need.
In one aspect, the present invention is directed to a chemical lure, comprising an enclosed container having a top, the top having one or more orifices; a gel matrix contained within the container, the matrix comprising a active ingredient and a carrier; and a headspace between the gel matrix and the top.
This and other aspects will be appreciated from a reading of the following description of the invention.
In one embodiment, the present invention is an article of manufacture that includes an active chemical in a gel matrix and packaged in a container that permits controlled release of said active chemical over time. The article of manufacture is preferably a lure for use in controlling insects and other pests.
As shown in
Useful active agents include agents useful in pest abatement and control, such as pheromones, kairomones, and kairomone inhibitors. Examples of pheromones include species-specific mating pheromones, such as those for Japanese beetle, potato beetle, coddling moth, boweivel, corn borer, etc., as well as pheromone inhibitors useful, for example, for mating disruption. Examples of kairomones include gases such as carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, as well as substances such as octenol, R-octenol, carboxylic acids, butyric acids, caproic acids, propionic acids, valeric acids, ammonia, and acetone. Examples of kairomone inhibitors include substances such as linalool and d-linalool.
In an alternative embodiment, a divider 16 may be included inside the container 12. The divider 16 divides the container into two sections and allows for the container to hold two carriers that contain incompatible chemicals, but provides for a common headspace 50. For example, as shown in
Three containers (Series 1, Series 2, and Series 3) each having a volume of 30 cc and an orifice of 0.25 inch were filled with 15 ml of a carrier gel (Icon Gel from Agilex, Somerset, N.J.) containing lactic acid and octenol as active agents. The containers were maintained at room temperature (25° C.) and the weight loss and emission rate were measured at various timer intervals. The data are shown in Table 1.
Although the invention has been shown and described with respect to illustrative embodiments thereof, it should be appreciated that the foregoing and various other changes, omissions and additions in the form and detail thereof may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as delineated in the claims. All patents, patent applications, and literature publications mentioned are herein incorporated by reference in their entireties.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/208,816 filed Feb. 27, 2009.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61208816 | Feb 2009 | US |
