Boron Chemosterilants Against Screw-Worm Flies: Structure-Activity Relationship13

Abstract

Organoboron compounds that hydrolyzed readily to boric acid were effective chemosterilants of Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel) and the activity was generally proportional to their boron content. However, this relationship was completely valid only with alkoxyboranes that hydrolyze almost instantaneously; aminoboranes and derivatives of boronic acids are more resistant to hydrolysis, and their effectiveness as chemosterilants could not be directly correlated with their content of boron. In all, 83 boron compounds were administered orally to both sexes of screw-worm flies, and their effects on mortality, oviposition, and hatch were determined.