JP7500915B2 - Asian giant hornet attractant - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an attractant for the Asian giant hornet. More specifically, the present invention relates to an attractant for the Asian giant hornet that contains brewed alcohol as an active ingredient, and a method for attracting the Asian giant hornet.

The Asian giant hornet is classified as a member of the Vespidae family of the Hymenoptera order, and lives in southern China, Taiwan, Southeast Asia, etc., and is expanding its habitat at an astonishing rate due to its wide range of feeding habits and high reproductive ability. As a result, there are concerns about the collapse of ecosystems specific to the region and the increasing damage to the beekeeping industry. In addition, people who are stung by Asian giant hornets can suffer anaphylactic shock, which is a major problem.
In Japan, the Asian giant hornet was first spotted in Tsushima City, Nagasaki Prefecture in 2012, and has since been designated an invasive species, but its habitat has not expanded significantly. One reason for this is that there are seven species of hornets living in Japan, which are thought to be natural enemies of the Asian giant hornet. Therefore, it is thought that an effective method of eradicating the Asian giant hornet is to selectively eradicate it while minimizing the impact on native Japanese hornets.
Currently, various pesticides and pest control methods, such as aerosols, poison baits, and traps, have been proposed to exterminate wasps such as hornets and paper wasps (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). However, these pesticides and pest control methods exterminate native hornets at the same time as the Asian giant hornet, which upsets the balance between the two and raises concerns that this could lead to the spread of the Asian giant hornet.
Given this situation, there is a need for the development of a treatment or extermination method that can selectively and efficiently exterminate the Asian giant hornet.

JP 2015-093846 A JP 2011-144151 A

The present invention aims to provide a treatment and extermination method for the selective and efficient extermination of Vespa hornets while minimizing the impact on native hornets.

As a result of extensive research into solving the above problems, the inventors discovered that brewed alcohol specifically attracts Asian giant hornets, thereby solving the above problems.

Specifically, the present invention relates to the following items.
1. A hornet attractant that uses brewed alcohol as its active ingredient.
2. The attractant for Vespa spp. according to 1., wherein the brewed alcoholic beverage is Shaoxing wine.
3. A method of attracting Asian giant hornets using brewed alcohol.

The attractant for Vespa spp. of the present invention specifically attracts Vespa spp., suppresses the impact on native hornets, which are natural enemies of Vespa spp., and exerts the effect of selectively and efficiently exterminating Vespa spp.
Furthermore, the attractant for Vespa spp. of the present invention is extremely useful since it can selectively and efficiently destroy Vespa spp. nests by combining it with various insecticides.

1 is a graph showing the test results of Example 5 of the "Field test of poison bait" in the Examples. 1 is a graph showing the test results of Comparative Example 4 of the "Poison Bait Field Test" in the Examples.

The Asian giant hornet attractant of the present invention will be described in detail below.
The attractant for Vespa spp. of the present invention is characterized in that it contains brewed alcohol as an active ingredient that specifically attracts Vespa spp.
In the present invention, the term "brewed alcohol" refers to alcohol produced by alcoholic fermentation of raw materials such as grains, fruits, etc. Examples of brewed alcohol include Shaoxing wine, beer, sake, fruit wine (wine, cider), etc.
Mirin is made by mixing steamed glutinous rice with rice malt, adding shochu or brewing alcohol, maturing it, and then squeezing and filtering it, and unlike sake, it is produced without going through the process of alcoholic fermentation by yeast. Some mirin is produced through the process of alcoholic fermentation by yeast, but the "brewed alcoholic beverage" in this invention, including these, does not include mirin.

It is speculated that the aroma components of "brewed alcohol" exert their attractant effect on the Asian giant hornet attractant of the present invention. Examples of the aroma components include the following:
When the "brewed alcohol" is Shaoxing wine, examples of the aroma components include acetal, ethyl butyrate, ethyl isovalerate, ethyl valerate, isopentyl alcohol, ethyl caproate, furfural, benzaldehyde, phenylethyl alcohol, γ-n-amylbutyrolactone, butyric acid, propionic acid, valeric acid, propane, butane, pentane, heptane, caproic acid, 2,2,4,4-tetramethyloctane, 1-octen-3-ol, acetophenone, isoamyl lactate, nonane, nonanol, maltol, phenethyl alcohol, acetic acid, benzoic acid, succinic acid, caprylic acid, 2-propenoic acid, dodecane, 2-undecanol, tetradecane, benzophenone, triphenyl phosphate, 4-vinyl guaiacol, vanillin, and dimethyl trisulfide.
When the "brewed alcohol" is beer, examples of the aroma components include isopentyl alcohol, 2-methyltetrahydrofuran-3-one, furfuryl ethyl ether, ethyl heptanoate, ethyl caproate, furfural, acetylfuran, benzaldehyde, linalool, 5-methylfurfural, terpineol, furfuryl alcohol, 3-methylbutyric acid, phenethyl acetate, caproic acid, phenethyl alcohol, dodecanol, caprylic acid, phenethyl hexanoate, acetic acid, butyric acid, 1-butanol, 1-pentanol, caprylic acid, cyclohexanone, 1-hexanol, acrylic acid, propionic acid, phenethyl alcohol, dibutyl phthalate, and the like.
When the "brewed alcohol" is sake or wine, the aroma components in common include isopentyl alcohol, isopentyl acetate, ethyl caproate, ethyl caprylate, 1-butanol, butyric acid, valeric acid, caproic acid, benzaldehyde, 1-octanol, phenethyl alcohol, acetic acid, ε-caprolactam, dibutylhydroxytoluene, propionic acid, phenol, 1,3-dioxolane, toluene, dodecane, nonanal, 1-butoxy-2-ethylhexane, caprylic acid, 2-propenoic acid, capric acid, 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,3-pentanediol diisobutyrate, etc.

The content of brewed alcohol in the Asian giant hornet attractant of the present invention is preferably 0.5% by mass or more, more preferably 1% by mass or more, and particularly preferably 5% by mass or more, based on the total amount of the attractant actually used. If the content of brewed alcohol is less than 0.5% by mass, the attractant effect may not be fully exerted. Furthermore, if the content exceeds 80% by mass, problems arise in the formulation and stability, so the content is preferably 80% by mass or less.

<Other attractants>
The Asian giant hornet attractant of the present invention may contain known bee attractant components according to the purpose, in addition to the brewed alcohol, which is a component that specifically attracts Asian giant hornets. Examples of known attractant components include vinegar such as balsamic vinegar, apple vinegar, rice vinegar, brown rice vinegar, lees vinegar, soybean vinegar, black vinegar, wine vinegar, sudachi vinegar, red vinegar, persimmon vinegar, malt vinegar, purple potato vinegar, and sugarcane vinegar, lactic acid products (lactic acid bacteria drinks, etc.), sugars, starch sugars, honey, molasses, fruit, processed fruit products, fruit juice, fruit juice drinks, whiskey, brandy, vodka, rum, gin, tequila, and shochu, as well as sake lees, seafood, processed seafood products, seafood extracts, meat, processed meat products, meat extracts, and flavors. Among these other attractant components, liquid or water-soluble ones are preferred. Furthermore, by adding moisturizing ingredients such as aliphatic polyhydric alcohols such as glycerin, sugar alcohols such as sorbitol, thickening polysaccharides such as xanthan gum, etc., the efficacy of the attractant can be maintained for a long period of time.
In addition, in attractant liquids that produce a fermentation odor due to decay to improve capture efficiency, the addition of sodium chloride is preferable because it has almost no effect on fermentation and has the effect of preventing the formation of a film that covers the surface of the attractant liquid.

<Insecticides>
The Asian giant hornet attractant of the present invention can be used in combination with a known insecticide to produce a pesticide such as a poison bait or a trapping agent that can reliably exterminate the attracted Asian giant hornet. Examples of known insecticides that can be used in combination include pyrethroid compounds such as natural pyrethrin, allethrin, resmethrin, furamethrin, prallethrin, telallethrin, phthalthrin, fenothrin, permethrin, cyphenothrin, cypermethrin, transfluthrin, metofluthrin, profluthrin, imiprothrin, empenthrin, etofenprox, silafluofen, meperfluthrin, and dimefluthrin; carbamate compounds such as propoxur and carbaryl; organophosphorus compounds such as fenitrothion, diazinon, tetrachlorvinphos, and DDVP; oxadiazole compounds such as metoxadiazone; and fipronil. Examples of the insecticides include phenylpyrazole compounds, sulfonamide compounds such as amidoflumet, neonicotinoid compounds such as imidacloprid and dinotefuran, insect juvenile hormone-like compounds such as pyriproxyfen, methoprene, and hydroprene, oxidative phosphorylation uncouplers such as sulfuramide, anti-juvenile hormone-like compounds such as precocene, chitin synthesis inhibitors such as novaluron, diflubenzuron, and etoxazole, amidinohydrazone compounds such as hydramethylnon, and insecticidal essential oils such as phytoncides, peppermint oil, orange oil, cinnamon oil, and clove oil, and further, synergists such as sinepirin and piperonyl butoxide can also be used in combination. Insect growth regulators such as insect juvenile hormone-like compounds, anti-juvenile hormone-like compounds, and chitin synthesis inhibitors that have little repellency can also be used in combination. Among these, insecticides that have little repellency to the Asian giant hornet and are slow-acting, such as diazinon, tetrachlorvinphos, sulfluramide, fipronil, and hydramethylnon, are suitable as insecticides to be incorporated into poison bait or traps using the Asian giant hornet attractant of the present invention.

In addition, when the Asian giant hornet attractant of the present invention is used in combination with an insecticide, it may be preferable to use an insecticide with high water solubility, considering that the insecticide may be diluted with water. Examples of insecticides with such water solubility include acephate, vamidothion, methidathion (DMTP), fenobucarb (BPMC), ethiofencarb, cartap, thiocyclam, imidacloprid, thiacloprid, cyromazine, fosthiazate, acetamiprid, thiamethoxam, clothianidin, pymetrozine, and dinotefuran. Among these, for example, dinotefuran (water solubility at 20°C: about 54,000 ppm), thiamethoxam (water solubility at 20°C: about 4,100 ppm), imidacloprid (water solubility at 20°C: about 510 ppm), and fenobucarb (BPMC, water solubility at 20°C: about 610 ppm), which have a water solubility of 500 ppm or more at 20°C, are suitable for formulation as insecticides to be combined with the Asian giant hornet attractant of the present invention.

<Surfactant>
The Asian giant hornet attractant of the present invention can be blended with a surfactant. As the surfactant, any of nonionic surfactants, anionic surfactants, cationic surfactants, and amphoteric surfactants can be used without particular limitation, but among them, nonionic surfactants and anionic surfactants are preferable.
Specifically, for example, nonionic surfactants include sugar ester type, fatty acid ester type, vegetable oil type, alcohol type, alkylphenol type, polyoxyethylene-polyoxypropylene block polymer type, alkylamine type, bisphenol type, and polyaromatic ring type. Anionic surfactants include carboxylic acid type, sulfonic acid type, sulfate ester type, and phosphate ester type. Cationic surfactants include ammonium type and benzalkonium type. Amphoteric surfactants include betaine type.
Among these, preferred examples include nonionic surfactants such as polyglycerol fatty acid esters, polyoxyalkylene alkyl ethers, polyoxyalkylene aryl ethers, polyoxyalkylene sorbitan fatty acid esters, polyalkylene glycol fatty acid esters, sucrose fatty acid esters, polyoxyalkylene castor oil, and polyoxyalkylene hydrogenated castor oil, and anionic surfactants such as sulfonates.
These surfactants may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

<Preparation>
The form of the Asian giant hornet attractant of the present invention includes, in addition to the essential component of brewed alcohol, a formulation containing the above-mentioned insecticides and auxiliary components generally added to formulations as necessary, and a formulation diluted with water. Among them, the formulation is advantageous during transportation and storage because it is compact and has excellent storage stability. Among them, the Asian giant hornet attractant of the present invention is preferably used in liquid form, and a liquid formulation is preferable because it is easy to dilute when diluted with water and leaves little residue.
The water used for dilution may be purified water, tap water, ion-exchanged water, distilled water, filtered water, sterilized water, ground water, well water, or the like.

When the Asian giant hornet attractant of the present invention is formulated, auxiliary components that are generally added to formulations can be blended as necessary. Examples of auxiliary components that are generally added to formulations include stabilizers, preservatives, coloring agents, agents to prevent accidental ingestion and ingestion, and liquid carriers. Examples of stabilizers include antioxidants such as dibutylhydroxytoluene (BHT) and butylhydroxyanisole (BHA), ascorbic acid, etc. Examples of preservatives include sorbic acid, sorbic acid salts, parahydroxybenzoic acid esters, thiabendazole, sodium chloride, etc. Examples of coloring agents include caramel color, gardenia color, anthocyanin color, safflower color, flavonoid color, Red No. 2, Red No. 3, Yellow No. 4, Yellow No. 5, etc. Examples of agents to prevent accidental ingestion and ingestion include denatonium benzoate, etc.

Liquid carriers used in formulation include, for example, alcohols (methanol, ethanol, isopropyl alcohol, butanol, hexanol, ethylene glycol, etc.), ethers (diethyl ether, ethylene glycol dimethyl ether, diethylene glycol monomethyl ether, diethylene glycol monoethyl ether, propylene glycol monomethyl ether, tetrahydrofuran, dioxane, etc.), esters (ethyl acetate, butyl acetate, isopropyl myristate, ethyl lactate, etc.), ketones (acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, methyl isobutyl ketone, cyclohexanone, etc.), aromatic or aliphatic hydrocarbons (xylene, toluene, alkylnaphthalene, phenylxylyl ethane, kerosene, diesel, hexane, cyclohexane, etc.), halogenated hydrocarbons (chlorobenzene, dichloromethane, dichloroethane, trichloroethane, etc.), nitriles (acetonitrile, isobutyronitrile, etc.), sulfoxides (dimethyl sulfoxide, etc.), heterocyclic solvents (sulfolane, γ-butyrolactone, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, N-ethyl-2-pyrrolidone, N-octyl-2-pyrrolidone, 1,3-dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone), acid amides (N,N-dimethylformamide, N,N-dimethylacetamide, etc.), alkylidene carbonates (propylene carbonate, etc.), vegetable oils (soybean oil, cottonseed oil, etc.), vegetable essential oils (orange oil, hyssop oil, lemon oil, etc.), and water.

<About poison bait>
The Asian giant hornet attractant of the present invention may be used as a poison bait in combination with a known insecticide. The poison bait may be, for example, a liquid preparation, a powder preparation, a dumpling preparation, a paste preparation, a gel preparation, a tablet preparation, etc., and the coating agent may be, for example, a brush-type preparation, a spray-type preparation, an injection-type preparation, etc. For example, if an eating substrate impregnated, attached, or coated with the poison bait is placed in a place where Asian giant hornets are exterminated, the Asian giant hornets will eat it, and an insecticidal effect can be obtained. Examples of the material for the eating substrate include sponge, absorbent cotton, nonwoven fabric of natural fibers and synthetic fibers, polymers such as water-absorbent polymers, woven fabric, paper, and porous bodies.
This poison bait is preferably stored in a container for use, and the container to be stored is not limited in shape or size as long as it can store the Asian giant hornet attractant of the present invention inside, and may be in a form suitable for the place of use and the method of use. The material of this container is not particularly limited, for example, glass, metal, plastic, or special paper having a waterproof or water-repellent function that does not allow the Asian giant hornet attractant of the present invention to leak out of the container. When this Asian giant hornet poison bait is placed outdoors, in order to prevent rainwater or the like from entering and diluting the poison bait, which reduces the Asian giant hornet control effect, it is preferable to have a cover that has a space for the opening and prevents the intrusion of rainwater or the like. It is preferable to hang the poison bait container containing the Asian giant hornet attractant of the present invention in a place that is not exposed to direct sunlight as much as possible, or to place it on a flat place where the entrance of the container is not blocked.

<About the Asian giant hornet trap>
The Asian giant hornet attractant of the present invention may be stored in a container and used as a Asian giant hornet trap.
The container for storing the hornet is not limited in shape or size as long as it can store the hornet attractant of the present invention inside, and may be in a form suitable for the place and method of use. The material of the container is not particularly limited as long as it is made of, for example, glass, metal, plastic, or special paper having a waterproof or water-repellent function that prevents the hornet attractant of the present invention from leaking out of the container.
As an example of the container, it is preferable that the container has a lid that covers the opening of the container, and an opening through which the bees can enter is formed in either the lid or the container. The opening may be of any size or shape that allows the bees to easily enter the container, and the dimensions (diameter, width, length) of the opening are preferably set to 10 mm or more and 35 mm or less, and more preferably set to 10 mm or more and 30 mm or less. If the opening is smaller than 10 mm, it is difficult for the Asian giant hornet to enter through the opening, and the capture efficiency decreases. Also, if the opening is larger than 35 mm, butterflies, moths, beetles, etc. other than the bees will enter the container. It is preferable to form multiple openings in the container so that the Asian giant hornet can easily enter the container, and the number of openings is preferably 2 to 5, depending on the size of the container.
The container may be provided with a transparent or semi-transparent window equivalent so that the number of captured Asian giant hornets can be visually checked, or may be a transparent or semi-transparent container, which makes it difficult to see the captured Asian giant hornets and reduces discomfort.
In addition, in order to prevent the Asian giant hornet that has entered the container from easily escaping from the container, the opening is preferably shaped like a funnel or the like.
When a vehicle hornet trap is installed outdoors, in order to prevent rainwater, etc. from entering and diluting the vehicle hornet attractant of the present invention and reducing the efficiency of capturing vehicle hornets, it is preferable for the trap to have a covering section that has space for the opening while preventing the infiltration of rainwater, etc.
It is preferable that a trap for a Asian giant hornet using the Asian giant hornet attractant of the present invention is hung in a place that is not exposed to direct sunlight, or is fixed to a fence or the like, or is placed on a flat surface where the entrance of the container is not blocked.

The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to formulation examples and test examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.
In the examples, unless otherwise specified, all parts are by weight.

<Attraction test 1>
In order to confirm that the attractant of the present invention has an attractive effect against Vespa spp., the following test was carried out.
(1) Preparation of Test Sample Example sample A, which is a specific example of the attractant of the present invention, was prepared, containing 5% by mass of Shaoxing wine, 12.9% by mass of other attractant components (vinegar, sugar, lactic acid bacteria drink, etc.), 0.1% by mass of formulation aids (solvent, surfactant, etc.), and the balance water.
In addition, a commercially available bee trap containing an attractant was used as a comparative sample a.

(2) Test method The test was conducted around a forest road in an area in Tsushima City, Nagasaki Prefecture, where the Japanese giant hornet lives.
The above-mentioned Example specimen A was stored in the same empty container of the bee trap (made of plastic, opening diameter 90 mm, height 120 mm) as the Comparative Example specimen a, and the Comparative Example specimen a was placed 3 m apart and 2 m above the ground, and the cumulative number of captured Asian giant hornets was measured after one week (early June 2019). The test was conducted three times, and the total cumulative number of captured Asian giant hornets was evaluated as the test result.
(3) Test Results With the example sample A containing Shaoxing wine as an attractant, all the bees captured were Vespa spp., and no giant hornets or yellow hornets were captured at all.
In contrast, comparative sample a (a commercially available wasp trap) that did not contain Shaoxing wine as an attractant did not capture any hornets, including the Asian giant hornet, the Japanese yellow hornet, or the Japanese yellow hornet.
From these results, it was revealed that the attractant for the Asian giant hornet of the present invention had a 100% selection rate for attracting Asian giant hornets and thus exhibited a specific attracting effect.

<Attraction test 2>
In order to confirm that the selective attraction effect of the Asian giant hornet attractant of the present invention against Asian giant hornets is due to the brewed alcohol as an active ingredient, the following test was carried out.
(1) Preparation of Test Samples Example sample A from the above "Attraction Test 1" was used.
Comparative Example Sample b was prepared with a composition that differed only in that the Shaoxing wine in Example Sample A was replaced with mirin.

(2) Test method The test was conducted around a forest road in an area in Tsushima City, Nagasaki Prefecture, where the Asian giant hornet lives.
The above-mentioned Example specimen A and Comparative example specimen b were stored in the same empty container of the bee trap (made of plastic, opening diameter 90 mm, height 120 mm) as Comparative example specimen a (Example 1, Comparative example 1), and each test specimen was placed at a height of 2 m from the ground so that they were 3 m apart, and the total number of hornets captured after two weeks (late September 2019) was measured. The test was conducted three times, and the total cumulative number of captured hornets for each wasp was evaluated as the test result.

(3) Test Results In the test specimens (three each) of Example 1 and Comparative Example 1, the hornets captured were three types: Vespula commune, Vespida japonica, and Vespula gracilis. The capture rate of Vespula commune in the total number of hornets captured by each test specimen of Example 1 and Comparative Example 1 is shown in Table 1 below.

As shown in Table 1, it was clear that Example 1, which uses an attractant containing Shaoxing wine, selectively attracts Asian giant hornets compared to Comparative Example 1, which uses an attractant containing mirin.
These results demonstrate that Shaoxing wine, which is an attractant for the Asian giant hornet of the present invention, exerts a specific attracting effect on the Asian giant hornet.

<Attraction test 3>
Similar to the above "Attraction Test 2," a test was conducted to confirm that the attractant effect of the Asian giant hornet attractant of the present invention is due to the brewed alcohol as an active ingredient.
(1) Preparation of Test Sample The above-mentioned Example sample A containing Shaoxing wine as an attractant was used.
Comparative sample c was a 60% aqueous solution of a commercially available lactic acid bacteria drink (aqueous solutions of lactic acid bacteria drinks are used to capture Asian giant hornets).
(2) Test method The test was conducted around a forest road in an area in Tsushima City, Nagasaki Prefecture, where the Japanese giant hornet lives.
The above-mentioned Example specimen A and Comparative example specimen c were stored in the same empty container of the bee trap (plastic, opening diameter 90 mm, height 120 mm) as Comparative example specimen a (Example 2, Comparative example 2), and each test specimen was installed 2 m above the ground so that they were 3 m apart, and the total number of hornets captured after 2 weeks (late September to early October 2019) was measured. The test was conducted four times, and the total cumulative number of captured hornets for each wasp was evaluated as the test result.

(3) Test Results In the test specimens (four each) of Example 2 and Comparative Example 2, the hornets captured were four types: Vespida japonica, Vespida japonica, Vespida nigra, and Vespida nigra. The capture rate of Vespida japonica in the total number of hornets captured by each test specimen of Example 2 and Comparative Example 2 is shown in Table 2 below.

As shown in Table 2, Example 2, which uses an attractant containing Shaoxing wine, selectively attracts the Asian giant hornet, as in the results of "Attraction Test 2" above, compared to Comparative Example 2, which uses an attractant commonly used to capture the Asian giant hornet.
From this result and the result of "Attraction Test 2" described above, it was confirmed that Shaoxing wine, which is an attractant for the Asian giant hornet of the present invention, exerts a specific attractant effect on the Asian giant hornet.

<Attraction test 4>
In order to confirm the effect of the blending amount of brewed alcohol in the Asian giant hornet attractant of the present invention on attracting Asian giant hornets, the following test was carried out.
(1) Preparation of test samples The above-mentioned example sample A (Example 3), which contains Shaoxing wine as an attractant, example sample B (Example 4), which contains twice the amount of Shaoxing wine as in example sample A, and the above-mentioned comparative example sample c (Comparative Example 3), which is a 60% aqueous solution of a commercially available lactic acid bacteria drink, were used.

(2) Test method: The test was conducted in the same manner as in “Attraction Test 2” above, and the total number of hornets captured after two weeks (late September 2019) was counted.
(3) Test Results In the test specimens (three each) of Examples 3 and 4 and Comparative Example 3, the hornets captured were three types: Vespula commune, Vespula gracilis, and Vespula spp. The capture rate of Vespula commune in the total number of hornets captured by each test specimen of Examples 3, 4, and Comparative Example 3 is shown in Table 3 below.

As shown in Table 3, Examples 3 and 4, which used an attractant containing Shaoxing wine, were found to selectively attract Asian giant hornets, as in the above ``Attraction Test 2'', compared to Comparative Example 3.
Furthermore, from the results of Examples 3 and 4, it was confirmed that the attractant for Vespa spp. of the present invention exerts a selective attracting effect on Vespa spp. even in a small amount.

<Field testing of poison bait>
The following test was carried out to confirm the extermination effect of a poison bait prepared by combining the attractant for Vespa spp. of the present invention with a known insecticide against Vespa spp.
(1) Preparation of Test Sample Example sample C, which is a specific example of the attractant of the present invention, was prepared, containing 10% by mass of Shaoxing wine, 85% by mass of other attractant components (sugar, lactic acid bacteria drink, etc.), 0.05% by mass of insecticide (fipronil), 0.52% by mass of formulation aids (solvent, surfactant, etc.), and the balance water.
A comparative sample d was prepared which differed only in that Shaoxing wine was replaced with water.

(2) Test method: The test was conducted around trees where giant hornets nest in Tsushima City, Nagasaki Prefecture.
A cylindrical nonwoven fabric having a diameter of 75 mm and a thickness of 20 mm and having six holes of a diameter of 13 mm was impregnated with 90 g of the above-mentioned Example sample C or Comparative example sample d. Five of these samples were stored in containers (diameter 100 mm, height 30 mm, height including the umbrella 55 mm, cylindrical container) equipped with an umbrella to prevent rainwater from entering (Example 5, Comparative example 4).
Each test specimen of Example 5 was installed 3 m away from the ground near a tree where the hornet was feeding (October 2019, observation time: 12:00-14:00). After installation, the nest of the red hornet was observed, and the number of entries and exits of the nest of the red hornet at approximately the same time was counted for 5 minutes as the "number of activities (times)".
In addition, at a different time from Example 5, each test specimen in Comparative Example 4 was placed 3 m away, near a tree that the hornets used as a feeding ground, at a height of 2 m from the ground (October 2019, observation time: 12:00-14:00), and then, in the same manner as in Example 5, the number of times that the Asian giant hornets entered and left the nest was counted for 5 minutes as the "number of activities (times)."
The results of Example 5 are shown in FIG. 1, and the results of Comparative Example 4 are shown in FIG.

(3) Test results As shown in FIG. 1, Example 5, which used a poison bait that combines the attractant of the present invention containing Shaoxing wine with a known insecticide, was found to be able to effectively attract and kill the Asian giant hornets, causing the nest to collapse just 20 days after installation.
In contrast, as shown in Figure 2, Comparative Example 4, which used a poison bait that combined an attractant that did not contain Shaoxing wine with a known insecticide, was unable to effectively attract the Asian giant hornets and was unable to destroy their nests.
From these results, it was confirmed that the Asian giant hornet attractant of the present invention, when combined with a known insecticide, can reliably attract Asian giant hornets and destroy their nests to exterminate them.

The Asian giant hornet attractant of the present invention uses brewed alcohol as an active ingredient and is therefore capable of specifically attracting Asian giant hornets, suppressing the impact on native hornets, which are natural enemies of Asian giant hornets, and selectively and efficiently exterminating Asian giant hornets.
Furthermore, when the Asian giant hornet attractant of the present invention is combined with a known insecticide, it becomes an extermination drug that can reliably exterminate the attracted Asian giant hornets, and can selectively and efficiently destroy Asian giant hornet nests, making it useful as it can provide an efficient extermination effect against Asian giant hornets.

Claims (2)

An attractant for Asian giant hornets that contains Shaoxing wine as its active ingredient. A method of attracting Asian giant hornets using Shaoxing wine .