Efficacy of Protein Baits with Fipronil to Control Vespa velutina nigrithorax (Lepeletier, 1836) in Apiaries.

The yellow-legged hornet (Vespa velutina nigrithorax), outside its natural range, has become a major threat to domestic bees. Several control methods have been used to fight against V. velutina, but the results achieved are not satisfactory. The use of protein baits with biocides has shown to be an effective method to control invasive wasp populations, but they have not been used to control V. velutina. Thus, the efficacy of protein baits containing fipronil to reduce the presence of hornets in apiaries was evaluated in this study. After laboratory determination of the optimal efficacy of a protein bait at a 0.01% concentration of fipronil, field trials were conducted involving 222 beekeepers. The data reported by the 90 beekeepers who completed the requested questionnaire demonstrated that in the groups of apiaries with the highest pressure of hornets (groups with 10-30 and >30 hornets), there was a significant decrease in the presence of V. velutina, lasting at least two weeks. The reduction in the number of hornets was positively correlated with bait consumption, and bait consumption was positively correlated with the number of hornets present at the time of treatment. Although the method used has shown good efficacy and the concentration of fipronil used was very low; possible negative effects on the environment should also be evaluated.

SmI(2)/Pd(0)-Mediated Intramolecular Coupling between Propargylic Esters and Tethered Aldehydes or Ketones.

A SmI(2)/Pd(0)-promoted intramolecular coupling between propargylic esters and carbonyl compounds is described. The reaction affords homopropargyl cycloalkanol products. Cyclopentanols are formed in high yields when ketones are employed as the carbonyl components, but aldehydes are found not to be suitable partners in these reactions. Particularly remarkable is the efficient formation of products with adjacent functionalized quaternary centers. These cyclizations take place with low diastereoselectivity about the newly created propargylic and carbinol stereogenic centers except when these two centers are quaternary or in the presence of groups capable of both chelating trivalent samarium and facilitating retroaldol-aldol-type equilibria in the product. In this latter case, the strategic combination of chemoselective carbonyl addition and SmI(2)/Pd(0)-promoted cyclization provides ready and convenient stereocontrolled access to functionalized cyclopentanols from unprotected 1,5-dicarbonyl starting materials. The analogous formation of cyclohexanols is limited by low cyclization yields and lack of stereoselectivity.