JP7534040B2 - Method for settling carcasses of bees and other insects in a bee trap - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a bee-trapping agent, a bee-trapping device containing the agent, and a method for trapping bees using the bee-trapping device. More specifically, the invention relates to an invention that uses a surfactant having a specific penetrating power as an active ingredient.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various pest traps have been known. For example, pest traps for catching small flying pests such as cockroaches and flies are widely used in homes, restaurants, factories, and the like.
In addition, various shapes of bee traps have been proposed. Specifically, Patent Document 1 describes a trap in which an attractant-trapping composition for attracting bees is stored inside a cup-shaped container, and a lid having an inlet for bees is attached to the top of the container. Patent Documents 2 and 3 introduce a technique for improving the efficiency of bee trapping by adjusting the visible light transmittance and color of the trap. Patent Document 4 describes a trap in which a bee inlet is placed at the center of the top of the trap to prevent bees once captured from escaping from the trap. Furthermore, Patent Document 5 describes that a bee attractant component with a specific sugar concentration is used to generate a fermented odor due to decay, thereby improving the trapping efficiency.

However, when liquid trapping agents are used in these bee traps, even if a bee falls into the liquid trapping agent, it takes time for it to die, and during that time the bee swims through the liquid trapping agent and escapes from the container, resulting in a problem of reduced trapping efficiency. In addition, even if a bee dies, its corpse floats on the surface of the liquid trapping agent, which serves as a foothold for other bees and encourages them to escape.

JP 2004-073144 A JP 2007-174964 A JP 2009-247236 A JP 2014-103933 A JP 2007-176853 A

The aim of the present invention is to shorten the time it takes for captured bees to die.

As a result of extensive research into solving the above problems, the inventors discovered that a surfactant with a specific penetrating power not only shortens the time it takes for a bee to die, but also causes the dead bees to settle in a bee-trapping agent that contains the surfactant as an active ingredient. The inventors have now solved the above problems by creating a bee-trapping agent that contains this surfactant with a specific penetrating power as an active ingredient.

Specifically, the present invention relates to the following items.
1. A bee-trapping agent containing the following surfactant (A) as an active ingredient:
A bee trap characterized in that the surfactant (A) has a penetration power of 2000 seconds or less.
2. A bee trap, characterized in that the bee trap described in 1. is contained in a container.
3. A method for catching bees, comprising using the bee trap described in 2.

The bee trap of the present invention has a short time until the bee dies, so the bee does not escape from the bee trap, and has an excellent bee trapping effect. Moreover, the bee corpse of the bee sinks in the liquid of the bee trap, so the bee corpse floats on the liquid surface of the bee trap and serves as a foothold for other bees to encourage escape, and does not prevent other bees from contacting the bee trap, so it is useful for efficiently trapping bees.
Furthermore, the bee-trapping agent of the present invention can be combined with a known insecticide to produce a control agent that can reliably control attracted bees, and is useful in that it can easily provide an efficient control effect against bees.

1 is a graph showing the cumulative number of hornets captured in a "hornet capture effectiveness confirmation test."

The bee-trapping agent of the present invention, a bee-trapping device containing the agent, and a bee-trapping method using the bee-trapping device will be described in detail below.
The bee-trapping agent of the present invention contains, as an active ingredient, a surfactant (A) having a specific penetrating power.
<About the penetrating power of the present invention>
The penetration power in the present invention means the time (seconds) measured by a measurement method based on the canvas disk method (ISO-8022-1990) described below, and the measurement was performed five times, and the average value was taken as the penetration power (seconds) in the present invention.
(Measurement method)
At 20°C, a wool fabric (coated white fabric for dye fastness test: conforming to JIS L 0803, wool, size: 200 mm x 200 mm) is fixed in a φ150 mm test piece holding frame in a taut state without slack, and 50 μL of a 1 wt % aqueous solution of the surfactant to be measured is dropped onto the surface of the center of the wool fabric to form a droplet, and the time until the droplet is absorbed by the wool fabric is measured with a stopwatch.
The end point at which the droplet is absorbed into the wool fabric is determined by the disappearance of the specular reflection. More specifically, light of 500 to 1000 lux, which allows the specular reflection of water to be visually confirmed, is applied to the vicinity of the droplet, and the specular reflection of the droplet is visually confirmed. As the droplet is gradually absorbed into the wool fabric, the specular reflection of the droplet also weakens, and when the droplet is completely absorbed into the wool fabric, the specular reflection of the droplet also disappears. This makes it possible to objectively determine the end point at which the droplet is absorbed into the wool fabric. This determination criterion is the method applied in the water absorption test method for textile products (JIS 1907:2010).
The active ingredient of the bee trap of the present invention is a surfactant having a penetration power of 2000 seconds or less at 20°C in a 1% by weight aqueous solution, preferably a surfactant having a penetration power of 1000 seconds or less, and more preferably a surfactant having a penetration power of 500 seconds or less.

The active ingredient of the bee trap of the present invention can be any surfactant with a penetration power of 2000 seconds or less, including nonionic surfactants, anionic surfactants, cationic surfactants, and amphoteric surfactants, without any particular restrictions. Among these, nonionic surface-active or anionic surfactants are preferred.
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 them, suitable nonionic surfactants include polyglycerol fatty acid esters, polyoxyalkylene alkyl ethers, polyoxyalkylene aryl ethers, polyoxyalkylene sorbitan fatty acid esters, polyalkylene glycol fatty acid esters, sucrose fatty acid esters, etc., and suitable anionic surfactants include sulfonates, etc.
Particularly suitable nonionic surfactants include polyglycerol fatty acid ester, polyoxyethylene alkyl ether, polyoxyethylene polyoxypropylene alkyl ether, polyoxyethylene aryl ether, polyoxyethylene sorbitan fatty acid ester, polyethylene glycol fatty acid ester, and sucrose fatty acid ester, and particularly suitable anionic surfactants include alkylsulfoacetate.The surfactant (A) as the above-mentioned active ingredient can be used alone or in a mixture of two or more kinds.

The bee trap of the present invention includes a bee trap in which the surfactant (A) having the above-mentioned penetrating power and excellent penetrating power is simply diluted with water, a formulation of the surfactant (A) having the above-mentioned penetrating power and excellent penetrating power together with an insecticide or a component generally added to a formulation, and further a formulation diluted with water. Among them, as the bee trap of the present invention, a formulation of the surfactant (A) having the above-mentioned penetrating power and excellent penetrating power and other components is advantageous during transportation and storage because it is compact and has excellent storage stability. Examples of the formulation type include liquid formulations such as oil solutions, emulsions, wettable powders, and flowable agents (suspensions in water, emulsions in water, etc.), as well as solid formulations such as microcapsules, powders, granules, and tablets. Among them, liquid formulations are preferable because they are easy to dilute with water and have little residual residue. As the water used for dilution, purified water, tap water, ion-exchanged water, distilled water, filtered water, sterilized water, groundwater, well water, etc. are used.
The bee trap of the present invention preferably contains 0.005% by weight or more of the active ingredient (A) having the above-mentioned penetrating power, more preferably 0.01% by weight or more, and particularly preferably 0.05% by weight or more, based on the entire bee trap. If the content of the active ingredient (A) having the above-mentioned penetrating power and having excellent penetrating power is less than 0.005% by weight based on the entire bee trap, the bee trap cannot fully exert a bee trapping effect that satisfies the user. If the content exceeds 5% by weight, problems such as solubility will arise in the formulation, so the content is preferably 5% by weight or less.

The bee trap of the present invention can be used in combination with a known insecticide to produce a control agent that can reliably control attracted bees. Known insecticides that can be used in combination include, for example, pyrethroid compounds such as natural pyrethrins, 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 and DDVP; and oxadiazone. Examples of the insecticides include diazole compounds, phenylpyrazole compounds such as fipronil, sulfonamide compounds such as amidoflumet, neonicotinoid compounds such as imidacloprid and dinotefuran, insect juvenile hormone-like compounds such as pyriproxyfen, methoprene, and hydroprene, anti-juvenile hormone-like compounds such as precocene, chitin synthesis inhibitors such as novaluron and diflubenzuron, and insecticidal essential oils such as phytoncides, peppermint oil, orange oil, cinnamon oil, and clove oil. Furthermore, 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 known insecticides, when the bee trap of the present invention is mixed with an insecticide, in order to obtain the lethal rate and sedimentation effect that are the effects of the present invention, it is preferable to use an insecticide with a water solubility of 100 ppm or more at 20°C. Examples of insecticides with such water solubility include acephate, vamidothion, methidathion (DMTP), fenobucarb (BPMC), ethiofencarb, cartap, thiocyclam, imidacloprid, thiacloprid, cyromazine, fosthiazate, acetamiprid, thiamethoxam, carbaryl (NAC), 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 more suitable as insecticides to be combined with the bee trap of the present invention.

The bee-trapping agent of the present invention can attract and reliably capture bees by using it in combination with a known attractant component. Known attractant components include, for example, 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 sweet potato vinegar, and sugarcane vinegar, lactic acid products (lactic acid bacteria drinks, etc.), sugars, starch sugars, honey, fruit, processed fruit products, fruit juice, fruit juice drinks, fruit wine, alcoholic beverages, sake lees, seafood, processed seafood products, seafood extracts, meat, processed meat products, meat extracts, and flavorings. Among the above attractant components, liquid ones are particularly preferred. Furthermore, if moisturizing components such as aliphatic polyhydric alcohols such as glycerin, sugar alcohols such as sorbitol, and thickening polysaccharides such as xanthan gum are included, the effectiveness of the attractant component can be maintained for a long period of time.

The bee trap of the present invention can be formulated by containing ingredients that are generally added to formulations to the extent that the effects of the present invention are not hindered. Examples of ingredients that are generally added to formulations include stabilizers, preservatives, coloring agents, agents to prevent accidental ingestion, and liquid carriers. Examples of stabilizers include antioxidants such as dibutylhydroxytoluene (BHT) and butylhydroxyanisole (BHA), and ascorbic acid. Examples of preservatives include sorbic acid, sorbic acid salts, parahydroxybenzoic acid esters, and thiabendazole. 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, and the like. Examples of agents to prevent accidental ingestion include denatonium benzoate.

Liquid carriers used in formulation include, for example, alcohols (methanol, ethanol, isopropyl alcohol, butanol, hexanol, benzyl alcohol, 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, phenyl). 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.

The bees for which the bee-trapping agent of the present invention exerts an excellent trapping effect are mainly bees belonging to the Vespidae family, but also include bees belonging to the Hymenoptera order such as hornet bees, carpenter bees, tortoiseshell bees, digger bees, and burrowing bees. Among them, the bees belonging to the Vespidae family can include bees belonging to the Vespidae subfamily and the Polistinae subfamily.
Examples of wasps belonging to the Vespidae subfamily include the giant hornet, Japanese yellow hornet, small hornet, Asian hornet, small female hornet, brown hornet, Japanese black hornet, Japanese black hornet, parasitic hornet, and the like.
In addition, examples of wasps belonging to the Polistinae subfamily include indigenous species such as Polistes nigricans, ...
Among these bees, the bee-trapping agent of the present invention has an excellent trapping effect on bees with a body length in the range of 10 mm or more and 45 mm or less, preferably on bees with a body length in the range of 10 mm or more and 30 mm or less, and more preferably on bees with a body length in the range of 10 mm or more and 25 mm or less.

<About bee traps>
The bee-trapping agent of the present invention may be stored in a container and used as a bee-trap.
The container is not limited in shape or size as long as it can store the bee trap of the present invention inside, and may be in a form suitable for the place and method of use. The material of this 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 so that the bee trap of the present invention does not leak 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 20 mm or more and 35 mm or less, and more preferably set to 25 mm or more and 30 mm or less. If the opening is smaller than 20 mm, it is difficult for large bees such as giant hornets to enter through the opening, and the capture efficiency decreases. If the opening is larger than 35 mm, butterflies, moths, beetles, etc. other than bees will enter the container. It is preferable to form multiple openings in the container so that the bees can easily enter the container, and the number of openings is preferably 2 to 5, although it depends on the size of the container. In addition, in order to prevent the bees that have entered the container from easily escaping outside the container, it is preferable that the opening is shaped like a funnel or the like.
The container may be provided with a transparent or semi-transparent window equivalent so that the number of captured bees can be visually checked, or may be a transparent or semi-transparent container, which makes it difficult to see the captured bees and reduces discomfort.
When a bee trap is installed outdoors, in order to prevent rainwater, etc. from entering and diluting the bee trap of the present invention and reducing the bee trapping efficiency, it is preferable to have a covering part that has space for the opening and prevents the infiltration of rainwater, etc.
The bee trap of the present invention is preferably used in a place that is not exposed to direct sunlight, hung about 1 to 3 m above the ground, or fixed to a fence or the like.

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.

<Confirmation test of penetration power>
(1) Preparation of Test Samples Each of the following surfactants 1 to 21 was mixed with water to obtain a 1% by weight homogeneous aqueous solution, which was used as a test sample.
(2) Measurement of penetration power At 20°C, a wool fabric (coated white fabric for dye fastness test: JIS L 0803 compliant, wool (wool), size: 200mm x 200mm) was fixed in a φ150mm stainless steel petri dish and a plastic test piece holding frame in a taut state without slack, and placed between a light source (935lux) and an observer, and a pipette for dropping the test specimen was placed so that its tip was 10mm away from the wool fabric surface. The observer observed from an angle where the specular reflection of water could be reliably confirmed. 50μL of the test specimen was dropped from the pipette, and the specular reflection of the droplets formed on the wool fabric surface was observed. The time (seconds) from when the test specimen reached the wool fabric surface until the wool fabric absorbed all the droplets (specular reflection disappeared) and only wetness remained on the wool fabric surface was measured with a stopwatch. The measurement was carried out five times, and the average value was used as the penetration force (seconds) of the surfactant.

<Bee-killing effect confirmation test 1>
(1) Preparation of test samples Each of the following surfactants 1 to 21 was mixed with water to obtain a 0.06% by weight homogeneous aqueous solution, which was used as a test sample for the bee trap.
(2) Test Method Each of the above test samples was poured into a container (mouth diameter 92 mm, height 131 mm, bottom diameter 58 mm, manufactured by Tokan Kogyo Co., Ltd.) to a height of 100 mm from the bottom. A single European honeybee (hereinafter referred to as "test bee") with a body length of about 10 to 15 mm was dropped into the liquid surface of the test sample, and the time until it stopped moving was measured. This test was repeated three times, and the average value was taken as the bee's lethal time (seconds).

<Bee drowning effect confirmation test 1>
(1) Preparation of test samples Each of the following surfactants 1 to 21 was mixed with water to obtain a 0.06% by weight homogeneous aqueous solution, which was used as a test sample for the bee trap.
(2) Test method Each test sample was poured into the same container as in the above "Bee lethality confirmation test 1" to a height of 100 mm from the bottom. Seven test bees were placed on the surface of the test sample liquid, and the number of drowned test bee corpses after 24 hours was counted. Here, drowned means that the test bee corpses had sunk to the bottom of the container, and does not mean that they were below the water surface or floating in the liquid.
The drowning rate (%) was calculated from the following formula (1).
Formula (1): Drowning rate (%) = 100 x (test bees that sank to the bottom of the container) / (number of test bees: 7)

The penetration power (seconds), bee lethal time (seconds), and drowning rate (%) of each test sample are shown below. The evaluation results for bee lethal time (seconds) and drowning rate (%) are also shown in Table 1 below, according to the following [Evaluation Criteria].
[Evaluation criteria for bee lethal time (seconds)]
A: Bee death time (seconds) is less than 200 seconds B: Bee death time (seconds) is between 200 and 400 seconds C: Bee death time (seconds) is between 400 and 600 seconds D: Bee death time (seconds) is 600 seconds or more or the bee escapes The above evaluation criteria A to C for bee death time (seconds) were judged to be practical.
[Evaluation criteria for drowning rate (%)]
A: Drowning rate (%) is 80% or more B: Drowning rate (%) is 65% or more and less than 80% C: Drowning rate (%) is 50% or more and less than 65% D: Drowning rate (%) is less than 50% or escape X: means escape from the container containing the test sample The above evaluation criteria A to C for drowning rate (%) were judged to be practical.

Details of the surfactants used are as follows:
Surfactant 1: Polyglyceryl laurate (10), HLB: 15.5
Surfactant 2: Polyoxyethylene alkyl (C12-14) ether, HLB: 13.5
Surfactant 3: Sodium lauryl sulfoacetate Surfactant 4: Sucrose laurate, HLB: 16
Surfactant 5: sucrose myristate, HLB: 16
Surfactant 6: Polyoxyethylene tristyrylated phenyl ether, HLB: 12
Surfactant 7: Polyglyceryl laurate (5), HLB: 15.8
Surfactant 8: Polyoxyethylene distyrylated phenyl ether, HLB: 12.8
Surfactant 9: Polyglyceryl laurate (10), HLB: 17.1
Surfactant 10: Polyoxyethylene coconut oil fatty acid sorbitan, HLB: 16.7
Surfactant 11: Polyoxyethylene sorbitan monolaurate (20 E.O.), HLB: 16.7
Surfactant 12: Polyglyceryl myristate (5), HLB: 15.4
Surfactant 13: Polyoxyethylene polyoxypropylene cetyl ether (20 E.O.) (8 P.O.), HLB: 12.5
Surfactant 14: Polyoxyethylene tribenzyl phenyl ether, HLB: 13.2
Surfactant 15: Polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate (20 E.O.), HLB: 15.0
Surfactant 16: Sucrose oleate, HLB: 15
Surfactant 17: Polyethylene glycol monostearate (40 E.O.), HLB: 17.5
Surfactant 18: Polyoxyethylene phytostyrol, HLB: 12.5
Surfactant 19: Polyoxyethylene phytostyrol, HLB: 18.0
Surfactant 20: Polyoxyethylene hydrogenated castor oil, HLB: 12.5
Surfactant 21: Polyoxyethylene hydrogenated castor oil, HLB: 14.0

As shown in Table 1, it was confirmed that the bee-trapping agents containing as active ingredients surfactants 1 to 17, which are surfactants (A) of the present invention with a penetration power of 2000 seconds or less, kill bees in a short time, and that the dead bees drown in the liquid of the bee-trapping agent. In particular, it was revealed that the bee-trapping agents containing as active ingredients surfactants 1 to 16 of the present invention with a penetration power of 1000 seconds or less exhibit excellent bee-trapping effects. In addition, with surfactants 18 and 19, bees were put into the test samples, but the bees escaped from the test samples and did not die. Therefore, the "-" in Table 1 means that the time to death and the drowning rate could not be measured for the reasons mentioned above.

<Bee-killing effect confirmation test 2>
(1) Preparation of test specimens Bee-attracting ingredients (sake, vinegar, sugar, etc.) were combined to prepare a bee-trapping agent stock solution so that the content of the surfactant 1 was 0.3% by weight, and this stock solution was diluted 5 times with water to prepare the example test specimens. In addition, a comparative example test specimen not containing surfactant 1 was prepared in the same manner as the example test specimens.
(2) Test method: The test was conducted in the same manner as in the above "Bee-lethal effect confirmation test 1," and the time until the bees stopped moving was measured. This test was repeated three times, and the average value was taken as the bee-lethal time (seconds). The results obtained are shown in Table 2, with the example test specimen used as Example 1 and the comparative example test specimen used as Comparative Example 1. The evaluation criteria were also the same as those in the above "Bee-lethal effect confirmation test 1."

<Bee drowning effect confirmation test 2>
(1) Preparation of test samples The example test samples and the comparative example test samples of the above "Bee-lethal effect confirmation test 2" were used.
(2) Test method: Except for checking the number of drowned test bee corpses after 84 hours, the test was conducted in the same manner as in the above "Bee Drowning Effect Confirmation Test 1," and the drowning rate (%) was calculated. The results obtained are shown in Table 2, with the example test specimen used as Example 1 and the comparative example test specimen used as Comparative Example 1. The evaluation criteria were also the same as those in the above "Bee Drowning Effect Confirmation Test 1."

As shown in Table 2, in Example 1, in which surfactant 1, a surfactant (A) of the present invention having a penetration power of 2000 seconds or less, was mixed with an attractant, it was confirmed that the time until the bees died was short, and the bee corpses drowned in the liquid of the bee capture agent. On the other hand, in Comparative Example 1, which is an attractant that does not contain surfactant 1, the bees drowned, but it took an extremely long time. Furthermore, the bee corpses hardly drowned in the liquid of Comparative Example 1, but were floating on the surface. From this, it is presumed that when Comparative Example 1 is used in an actual scene outdoors, even if a bee is attracted, the bee that was captured first and floating on the surface of the liquid of Comparative Example 1 will become a foothold, and the bee that is attracted later will be more likely to escape without being captured and drowned in the liquid of Comparative Example 1.

<Test to confirm lethal drowning effect on bees>
(1) Preparation of Test Sample The above surfactant 1 was mixed with water to obtain a uniform 0.1% by weight aqueous solution, which was used as an example test sample for the bee trap.
(2) Test method The above test sample was poured into a container (mouth diameter 92 mm, height 131 mm, bottom diameter 58 mm, manufactured by Tokan Kogyo Co., Ltd.) to a height of 100 mm from the bottom. A single paper wasp (hereinafter referred to as the "test wasp") with a body length of about 20 to 25 mm was dropped into the liquid surface of the test sample, and the time until it drowned was measured. This test was repeated twice, and the average value was taken as the time to death (seconds).
In addition, 24 hours after drowning, it was confirmed whether the test bee's corpse had drowned to the bottom of the container, and the drowning rate (%) was calculated in the same manner as in the above "Bee drowning effect confirmation test 1."
The bee lethal time (seconds), drowning rate (%), and evaluation results are shown in Table 3 for the example 2 using the example test sample. The evaluation criteria were the same as those in the above "Bee drowning effect confirmation test 1."

As shown in Table 3, Example 2, which contains surfactant 1, which is surfactant (A) of the present invention with a penetration power of 2000 seconds or less, was confirmed to have a short time until it was lethal to paper wasps, and the carcasses of the wasps were drowned in the liquid of the wasp-trapping agent.

<Test to confirm effectiveness of hornet capture>
In order to confirm the hornet trapping effect of the hornet trapping agent of the present invention, a hornet trapping effect confirmation test was carried out outdoors. As a reference example, a commercially available trap containing a hornet attractant liquid (commercial product A) was used.
(1) Preparation of Example Samples The example test sample from the above "Bee-lethal effect confirmation test 2" was used, and this was injected into a bee trap that did not contain the bee attractant liquid of the above-mentioned commercially available product A so that the amount of liquid was the same as that of commercially available product A. This was used as Example 3.
(2) Test Method The above Example 3 and Reference Example were installed 3 m apart and 2 m above the ground in a wooded area (Test Area 1) and a garden near a building (Test Area 2), and the cumulative number of hornets captured was observed for 4 weeks (May 2018). The test was conducted at the above two locations, and the total was the cumulative number of hornets captured.
The cumulative number of hornets captured in test areas 1 and 2 in Example 3 and the reference example is shown in Table 4 and FIG. 1, and the types of hornets captured are shown in Table 5.

As shown in Table 4 and Figure 1, it was confirmed that the bee trap containing the bee trap of the present invention (Example 3) has a very excellent bee trapping effect in the early stage of 1 to 2 weeks compared to the commercially available product of the reference example, and can capture about 1.7 times as many bees by the 4th week. This result is considered to be the effect exhibited by the bee trap of the present invention, which uses a surfactant as an active ingredient that has excellent penetration power and takes a short time to kill bees. Moreover, the bee trap of the present invention (Example 3) has the effect of sinking the bee's corpse into the bee trap, so the bee's corpse does not float on the liquid surface and become a foothold for other bees that have entered the trap to escape, and it is considered that the number of bees captured increased smoothly from the early stage of the start of capture.
When the inside of the bee trap was actually observed, the bee that was caught in the bee trap of the present invention was drowned at the bottom of the trap, while the commercially available product of the reference example caught not only bees but also moths and gnats, and all of their corpses were floating on the surface of the trapping liquid. Therefore, it is considered that the corpses that floated on the surface of the trapping liquid covered the liquid surface, preventing the capture of new bees, and the number of bees captured was small. The bee trap of the present invention is useful because it can obtain excellent bee capture effect for a long time without preventing the capture and drowning of new bees, since the corpses of other insects such as captured moths and gnats also sink.
Furthermore, the commercial product of the reference example had the drawback that flies lay eggs, causing a mass outbreak of flies in the trap, making it look unclean. In contrast, the bee trap of the present invention drowns the captured flies immediately and their corpses sink, so there is no mass outbreak of flies due to egg laying, and it is clear that the trap can be used continuously with a clean appearance.
In addition, as shown in Table 5, it was confirmed that the bee trap containing the bee trapping agent of the present invention (Example 3) is more effective at capturing highly aggressive carnivorous bees such as the giant hornet (body length: about 25 to 45 mm), the small hornet (body length: about 22 to 30 mm), and the Japanese yellow hornet (body length: about 17 to 28 mm) than the commercially available product of the reference example.

The bee trap of the present invention has a short time until the bee dies, so the bee does not escape from the bee trap, and has an excellent bee trapping effect. Moreover, the bee corpse of the bee sinks in the liquid of the bee trap, so the bee corpse floats on the liquid surface of the bee trap and serves as a foothold for other bees to encourage escape, and does not prevent other bees from contacting the bee trap, so it is useful for efficiently trapping bees.
In addition, the bee-trapping agent of the present invention drowns insects other than the captured bees and their carcasses sink, so there is no mass outbreak of gnats, for example, and the agent can maintain an excellent bee-trapping effect over a long period of time while also maintaining a beautiful appearance.

Claims (1)

A method for settling the carcasses of bees and gnats in a bee trap (excluding bee traps containing a diluted solution of concentrated apple water) using the following surfactant (A) having a penetration power of 2000 seconds or less.
The surfactant (A) is polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate (20 E.O.)