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Immobilisation of bifenthrin for termite control
Author(s) -
Guan YanQing,
Chen Jia Mei,
Li Zhi Bin,
Feng Qi Li,
Liu JunMing
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
pest management science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.296
H-Index - 125
eISSN - 1526-4998
pISSN - 1526-498X
DOI - 10.1002/ps.2065
Subject(s) - bifenthrin , fibroin , fourier transform infrared spectroscopy , ultraviolet , chemistry , materials science , scanning electron microscope , chemical engineering , nanotechnology , silk , pesticide , composite material , biology , optoelectronics , agronomy , engineering
BACKGROUND: Termites are worldwide pests causing considerable damage to agriculture, forestry and buildings. While various approaches have been tried to eliminate termite populations, the relevant toxicants are associated with certain risks to the environment and human health. RESULTS: In this study, to combine the merits of effective chemical control by bifenthrin and a drug photoimmobilisation technique, silk fibroin was used as a carrier to embed bifenthrin, which was then photoactively immobilised by ultraviolet treatment on the surface of wood (cellulose). The immobilised bifenthrin embedded in the photoactive silk fibroin was characterised by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy (UV), fluorescence measurement and CHN analysis. The surface structures and biological activity were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA) and bioassays respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that the embedded and immobilised bifenthrin has been very well protected from free release and has a long‐term stability allowing slow release with a high efficiency against termites at a low dose of 1.25 µg cm −2 . This study provides a novel and environmentally benign technique for termite control by photoimmobilising silk‐fibroin‐embedded bifenthrin on the surface of materials that are otherwise easily attacked by termites. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry