Harold Axelrod

Isolation and identification of mosquito repellents inArtemisia vulgaris

The mugwortArtemisia vulgaris L. (Compositae: Anthemideae) contains insect repellents which can be released from the plant tissues by combustion. Work was carried out to isolate and identify the repellent compounds. The dried, pulverized whole plants were steam-distilled to give a repellent essential oil which was fractionated by column chromatography. Active fractions were analyzed by capillary GC and by combined GC-MS. A number of compounds, mainly monoterpenoids, were identified. When tested as repellents against the yellow fever mosquitoAedes aegypti L. (Diptera: Culicidae), (±)-linalool, (±)-camphor, (+)-camphor, (−)-camphor, isoborneol, (−)-borneol, terpinen-4-ol, and isobornyl acetate were active at 0.14 mg/cm2 or higher. Nonanone-3, (α+β)-thujone, and bornyl acetate were active at 0.28 mg/cm2 or higher. β-Pinene, myrcene, α-terpinene, (+)− limonene, and cineole were active at 1.4 mg/cm2. Of the repellent compounds identified, terpinen-4-ol was the most active and was as effective as dimethyl phthalate.

Attractants for synanthropic flies

Fermented molasses or sucrose solutions are known to attract several species of filth-breeding flies. To identify the volatile attractants produced in fermenting sucrose solutions with yeast, these solutions were fractionated, and the chemical constituents identified and bioassayed against filth-breeding flies includingFannia canicularis (L.),Muscina stabulans (Fallén), andMusca domestica (L.). Distillation of a fermented sucrose solution gave an active distillate and an inactive residue. Gas Chromatographic analysis of the distillate showed the presence of acetaldehyde, ethyl acetate, ethanol, 1-pro-panol, 2-methyl-l-propanol, and 3-methyl-l-butanol. Ethanol constituted by far the greatest proportion of compounds present in the distillate. An aqueous solution of ethanol exhibited the same level of attractancy as the distillate, the fermented sucrose solution, and a reconstituted distillate containing all compounds identified. Ethanol was thus identified as the sole attractant emanated from fermented carbohydrate solutions that elicited positive responses in pest flies, especially inF. canicularis.

Field evaluation of chemical attractants against the flyFannia femoralis (Diptera: Muscidae)

Four chemical compounds previously shown to be attractants toHippelates eye gnats and houseflies were evaluated againstFannia femoralis (Stein). Two of the compounds, trimethylamine hydrochloride andn-butyric acid, were determined to be the principal attractants against this fly. A composition containing trimethylamine hydrochloride (yielding trimethylamine in presence of water),n-butyric acid, and an anchovy meal inert carrier proved highly attractive. To evaluate the practical use of the synthetic fly attractant (SFA) formulation, a large-scale trial over an entire poultry ranch was implemented using SFA formulation and a sugar toxicant (as a killing agent) in specially designed traps. Within 2 weeks after initiation of SFA-toxicant treatments, significant reduction inF. femoralis population from the pretreatment level occurred. This high level of reduction prevailed during the remainder of the treatment period.