Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA.
Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA.
Pest Manag Sci. 2017 Oct;73(10):2028-2038. doi: 10.1002/ps.4616. Epub 2017 Jul 26.
Insecticide sprays used for ant control cause environmental contamination. Liquid bait is a safe and effective alternative, but it requires bait stations to dispense the toxicant. We developed a biodegradable hydrogel to deliver liquid bait obviating the need for bait stations.
Alginate hydrogel beads with preferred rigidity and maximum hydration in 25% sucrose solution were engineered by optimizing a crosslinking process. The moisture content of the substrate on which the beads were placed and the relative atmospheric humidity significantly influenced water loss dynamics of the hydrated hydrogel beads. Laboratory choice studies indicated that hydrated hydrogel beads had reduced palatability to foraging ants when they lost ≥50% water. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) indicated that the insecticide thiamethoxam added to sucrose solution was absorbed into the hydrogel beads. Hydrogel beads conditioned in sucrose solution with 1 mg L thiamethoxam provided complete control of all castes of Argentine ant Linepithema humile (Mayr) colony by 14 days post treatment in the laboratory trial and provided a 79% reduction in ant activity after 8 weeks in the field trial.
Alginate hydrogel beads provided an effective delivery system for liquid baits laced with low concentrations of insecticide to control Argentine ants. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.
用于控制蚂蚁的杀虫剂喷雾会造成环境污染。液体毒饵是一种安全有效的替代品，但它需要毒饵站来分配有毒物质。我们开发了一种可生物降解的水凝胶来输送液体毒饵，从而无需使用毒饵站。
通过优化交联过程，设计了具有优选刚性和在 25%蔗糖溶液中最大水合度的藻酸盐水凝胶珠。珠粒放置的基质的含水量和相对大气湿度显著影响水合水凝胶珠的水分损失动力学。实验室选择研究表明，当水合水凝胶珠失去≥50%的水分时，对觅食蚂蚁的适口性降低。酶联免疫吸附测定（ELISA）表明，添加到蔗糖溶液中的杀虫剂噻虫嗪被吸收到水凝胶珠中。用 1mg L 噻虫嗪处理的蔗糖溶液调理的水凝胶珠在实验室试验中处理后 14 天即可完全控制阿根廷蚂蚁（Linepithema humile（Mayr））蚁群的所有等级，在野外试验中 8 周后可使蚂蚁活动减少 79%。
藻酸盐水凝胶珠为低浓度杀虫剂处理的液体毒饵提供了一种有效的输送系统，可用于控制阿根廷蚂蚁。©2017 化学工业协会。
