Drug – bio-affecting and body treating compositions – Designated organic active ingredient containing – Boron containing doai
Reexamination Certificate
2000-12-01
2003-11-11
Pak, John (Department: 1616)
Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions
Designated organic active ingredient containing
Boron containing doai
C424S657000, C424S658000, C424S659000, C424S660000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06645949
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Insects and other pests have plagued mankind for ages and cost farmers billions of dollars annually in crop losses and in efforts to keep these pests under control. The losses caused by pests in agricultural production environments include decreases in crop yields, reduced crop quality, and increased harvesting costs. Homeowners also expend significant funds in their efforts to control pests.
Synthetic chemical pesticides have provided effective methods of pest control. However, the public has become concerned about the amount of residual chemicals that might be found in food, ground water, and the environment. Stringent new restrictions on the use of pesticides and the elimination of some effective pesticides from the marketplace could limit economical and effective options for controlling destructive pests. Thus, there is an urgent need to identify pest control methods and compositions which are not harmful to the environment, that can be used in areas frequented by humans (especially children), and that can be used on food.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,873,084 relates to treating wood with ammoniumpentaborate and alkali metal and/or alkaline earth metals (sulfates, -sulfites and/or -hydrophosphates) as fire retardants, anti-smoldering agents, anti-fungal agents, and to control wood boring insects like termites and lyctid beetles. It is stated therein that ammonia and boric acid (H
3
BO
3
) are liberated from ammoniumpentaborate in the gut of wood decaying insects and that ammonia neutralizes the acidity of the content of the insect's gut, which inhibits the activity of cellulase enzyme (essential for the acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of cellulose to glucose in wood boring insects). It is also acknowledged therein that the liberation of boric acid from ammoniumpentaborate is significantly easier than from sodium borates, such as borax and disodiumoctaborate. Boric acid is taught therein as being known to be toxic to certain insects. This reference also teaches the use of bariumtriborate, barium salts, or their calcium analogs, and ammonia containing bariumchloride or bariumhydroxide to react with ammoniumpentaborate (and disodiumoctaborate) to form active ingredients.
For further information regarding the use of borates to control a wood-destroying beetle, see Suomi et al, “Control of the Structure-Infesting Beetle,
Hemicoelus gibbicollis
(Coleoptera:Anobiidae) with Borates,”
Journal of Economic Entomology
, August 1992, pp. 1188-1193.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,332,609 relates to a liquid fertilizer for plants that comprises a polyborate compound, which is formed by reacting a boric acid compound with an alkanolamine or an aliphatic polyamine. This patent does not relate to controlling insects and makes not even a suggestion of the sort.
WO 91/07972 relates to the use of carrageenan to form gelled baits and to make the baits attractive to certain insects such as roaches and (sweet-feeding) ants. It is stated therein that it is the carageenan component that causes insects to be attracted to the gelled bait for bait-ingesting purposes. It is indicated therein that the carageenan can be used to make baits containing many chemicals that are insecticidal sufficiently attractive to insects; chemicals such as boric acid, sodium borate, and many chemical insecticides are included as possibilities. In practical applications, the pH of these formulations appears to be too high for effective use against many pests.
Yang et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,516,520 teach the use of borax to convert pesticide mixtures into “rubbery masses” to provide controlled release formulations.
FR 2 241 252 discloses cockroach bait compositions containing boric acid or borax with a nutritive substance.
As referred to herein, cockroaches are considered to be of the Order Blattodea (also called Blattaria). Thus, as used herein, the Order Orthoptera excludes cockroaches and includes crickets (including mole crickets), grasshoppers, locusts, and katydids. This is consistent with, for example,
Common Names of Insects and Related Organisms
, Stoetzel, Entomological Society of America, 1989 (which is specifically incorporated by reference herein), and with more recent taxonomic systems.
Some taxonomic schemes classify cockroaches as being of the Order Dictyoptera and of the Suborder Blattodea (or Blattaria), with Mantodea (mantids) also being a Suborder of Dictyoptera. Accordingly, cockroaches are then considered to be of the Superfamily Blattoidea (with Blaberoidea being the other Superfamily of the Suborder Blattaria). While isopterans are sometimes also included as a Superfamily of Dictyoptera, it appears to be most consistent to classify isopterans separately from cockroaches and mantids.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,617,188 relates to borax and carob to control cockroaches. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,988,511 and 4,438,090 relate to attempts to make boric acid compositions palatable to, or otherwise effective for controlling, cockroaches. U.S. Pat. No. 4,438,090 relates to a method of preparing an insecticide containing boric acid which comprises milling boric acid to a particle size between about 100 to about 400 mesh; blending the boric acid particles with magnesium stearate, silica gel, tricalcium phosphate, sucrose octa-acetate, or denatonium benzoate, and with a non-white powdered pigment, with the boric acid particles remaining smaller than about 100 mesh; and electrically charging the blend to induce an electrostatic charge on the discrete particles of the insecticide. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,988,511 relates to controlling cockroaches with an insecticidal paste composed of a delicately balanced mixture of sugar, milk solids, butter fat, water, and a green pigment of liquid food coloring with a powdered form of boric acid in 100 to 400 mesh.
Grace et al.,
J. Econ. Entomol
., 84(6):1753-1757 (1991) is concerned with the response of certain subterranean termites to borate dust and soil treatments. As referred to herein, termites are considered to be of the Order Isoptera. U.S. Pat. No. 5,564,222 relates to the use of cellulose bodies impregnated with borate salts for controlling termites.
Borax has also been used for treating carpets to control fleas (class Insecta, Order Siphonaptera). For example, there is a commercial product (a borate powder) available from FLEABUSTERS. See also U.S. Pat. No. 5,587,221, which relates to a carpet treatment for controlling fleas and mites (class Acari), but uses borax (a tetraborate) plus boric acid. U.S. Pat. No. 5,672,362 relates to the use of disodium octaborate tetrahydrate for controlling dust mites (Class Acari). U.S. Pat. No. 5,587,221 notes that octaborate is expensive to produce because obtaining octaborate requires the step and expense of driving off a certain amount of water. U.S. Pat. No. 5,314,699 is cited in U.S. Pat. No. 5,672,362 as disclosing the use of disodium octaborate tetrahydrate (more specifically, the use of the crystalline form thereof as a carpet treatment) for killing fleas, but U.S. Pat. No. 5,672,362, which relates to the control of mites, notes that it is commonly understood in the art that a chemical that is effective for controlling one type of pest is not necessarily effective for controlling another.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,698,208 is directed to the use of borax toxicants against fruit flies.
Notwithstanding the above, there is still a need in the art for improved toxicants that are effective against a broader range of pests, that have features for direct and easy application, and that are not environmental pollutants or potential carcinogens (or otherwise harmful to humans).
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to materials and methods of using boron compounds to control certain arthropods. Preferred target pests are insects of the Orders Orthoptera (grasshoppers and crickets), Lepidoptera (moths and larvae), and Hymenoptera (preferably
Solenopsis invicta
, fire ants).
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The subject invention relates to the surprising observation that boron compounds are attractive to certain pests. In accordance with the subj
Nigg Herbert N.
Simpson Samuel E.
Pak John
Saliwanchik Lloyd & Saliwanchik
University of Florida
LandOfFree
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