the aforementioned alkyloxypolyethyleneoxyethanols are biodegradable nonionic surfactants consisting of a mixture of ethoxylates of secondary alcohols having from 9 to 15 carbon atoms in the aliphatic hydrophobic chain , and which have an average of 3 to 5 , 7 , 9 , 12 , 15 , 20 , 30 or 40 moles of ethylene oxide , respectively in the hydrophillic entity . materials which correspond to the compositions are available commerically as tergitol 15 - s series of ethylene oxide derivatives manufactured by union carbide corporation ( i . e . 15 - s - 3 , 15 - s - 5 , 15 - s - 7 , 15 - s - 9 , 15 - s - 12 , and 15 - s - 15 .) one method for the manufacture of such nonionic surface active agents is believed to be set forth in u . s . pat . no . 2 , 870 , 220 of union carbide . a blend or combination of these secondary alcohol ethoxylates such as tergitol 15 - s - 3 added to tergitol 15 - s - 9 results in clear , easily handled materials for application . of the available ethoxylates of secondary alcohols , tergitol 15 - s - 9 is preferred . as indicated above , it is understood that these nonionic surfactants can be represented by the formula : ## str3 ## where n is from 9 to 15 and m is from 3 to 40 . the above nonionic surfactants in the same instances can be applied to targets ( buildings , soils , etc .) in technical strength if desired . however , because of the active nature of the secondary alcohol ethoxylates , it is recommended that they be admixed with a suitable carrier , this is especially true when applied to targets such as plants , foilage and animals . suitable inexpensive carriers that are preferred are either water or vegetable oil . other more expensive carriers can also be used . in accordance with my invention , the above nonionic surfactants are applied in an amount of approximately 8 oz . to about 16 oz . per acre . the amount of water or vegetable oil used as the carrier can vary considerably as long as about 8 oz . to about 16 oz . of the nonionic surfactant is applied to the plants per acre . because vegetable oil is capable of forming a much finer mist than is possible with water , a substantially less volume of oil can be used with the surfactant compared to the same amount of surfactant in water . the following examples are presented for the purpose of further illustrating and explaining the present invention and are not to be taken as limiting in any regard . ______________________________________tergitol 15 - s - 9 16 . 0 oz . water 250 . 0 gallons 250 . 16 - total solution in gallons______________________________________ this solution was sprayed on mature citrus trees with severe rust mite infestation . a rate of 250 . 16 gallons of solution per treated acre was used with temperatures in the low 60 ° f . range . after three days , the only detectable rust mites to be found were &# 34 ; inside &# 34 ; the canopy of the dense foliage of the trees . only carcasses of dead mites were detected in over 98 % of those trees inspected . depending upon the type of spray application , tests indicated that solutions including as little as 15 gallons of water could be applied per acre and be effective . this solution was applied to one acre of cotton severely infested with bollworms of approximately 1 / 4 inch to 1 / 64 of an inch in length by means of fixed - wing aircraft . within twenty minutes of application only bollworms one inch in length or larger were found alive in the field . ______________________________________tergitol 15 - s - 9 8 . 0 oz . vegetable oil 32 . 0 oz . 40 . 0 oz . total solution______________________________________ this solution was applied to cotton infested with bollworms , aphids and spider mites at the rate of 40 . 0 oz . per acre by means of a fixed - wing aircraft . within twenty minutes of application , no live pests were found . this solution was applied to the floor of a residential kitchen in a semi - tropical area of florida . it was noted that brown spiders , and two other types of insects , carpenter ants and a centipede died after being placed in contact with the wet floor within 10 minutes of contact . this solution was used as a &# 34 ; bath &# 34 ; for a dog which had been in contact with ticks and fleas found in hunting areas in south georgia . after being place in the bath container for a period of several minutes , no live parasitic insects were found on the dog . this solution was applied to peanuts during one entire production year . no other fungicide was applied until two weeks prior to digging . at that point the product bravo was applied at recommended rates . there was no leaf spot present when the fungicide bravo was applied . no additional insecticide was used during the production year to the acreage treated with the surfactant . the yield on the test areas was in excess of 1 . 75 tons / acre . this solution was applied to an area of a building foundation where termites were found . the solution was injected into the termite bed area beneath the surface of the soil . after a twelve hour period , the &# 34 ; bed &# 34 ; area under and around the infested area was excavated . all termites found , were dead . no other fumigant was used . this solution was sprayed around shrubs and ornamental flowers of a south georgia residence , where mosquitos were present in large numbers . spraying resulted in killing of the pests , with no reinfestation for a period of three days . stronger solutions of tergitol may result in leaf damage . a plot of land was tested and found to have a nematode count of 400 per test soil sample , which made the land unsuitable for raising cotton . in view of the soil unsuitability , peanuts were selected to be planted in the plot . the land was thereafter treated in accordance with my invention by first ground spraying with a solution consisting of tergitol 15 - s - 9 ( 16 ounces per acre ) and water ( 10 - 20 gallons per acre ) and thereafter tilling . the land was thereafter sprayed with a liquid composition from a plane at a per acre concentration of 8 - 16 ounces of tergitol 15 - s - 9 and 10 - 20 gallons of water . similar applications were made every 6 - 10 days for several months . at the end of several months another soil test was made and the nematode count was essentially zero per test soil sample . in addition , the peanuts were free of insects and white mold during the entire growing season . a plot of land was prepared for cotton by initially ground spraying approximately 16 oz ./ acre of tergitol 15 - s - 9 with 10 - 20 gallons of water / acre and then tilling the land . thereafter the cotton crop was periodically sprayed by air plane utilizing 8 - 16 oz . tergitol 15 - s - 9 and 3 - 5 gallons of water / per acre except when small worms were noted and then the tergitol 15 - s - 9 was applied at 8 - 16 oz . with 26 - 34 oz . of vegetable oil per acre . the spraying applications were effective in controlling eggs , bollworms , mites , white flies , and aphids . several orange trees in florida were treated for rust mites by spraying with a solution of approximately 2 oz . of tergitol 15 - s - 9 and approximately 15 gallons of water . the treatment eliminated the rust mite problems . the surfactant solutions of the present invention have also been tested and found effective for controlling lice on hogs , aphids on roses and pecan trees , mold on pecan trees , fungus on shrubs , and insects on garden and vegetable plants . in addition to the surfactants of the present invention being useful in controlling fungus , mites , nematodes , worms , mold and other insects , it is believed that the surfactants function as soil neutrilizers . as a result of some of the tests set forth above , it has been noted that the soil ph in the test plots has been increased and remains between approximately 6 . 5 to less than 7 . 0 without the use of lime being necessary . in one test plot , several acres of the soil were generally non - productive due to soil ph levels of less than 6 . 0 . after repeated applications of the surfactants as set forth above over an entire test plot , it was noted that the previously unproductive acres became productive . tests indicated that the ph levels had been raised to above 6 . 5 . although my invention has been described in connection with the above examples , it is not limited by these examples and should be construed in connection with the following claims and obvious equivalents thereof . for instance , tergitol 15 - s - 3 , 15 - s - 7 , 15 - s - 12 and 15 - s - 15 have been used for similar applications and the same rates as set forth in the examples in oil and / or water solutions with similar results being achieved . therefore , it is believed that the nonionic surfactants of the tergitol - 15 - s series are believed to fall within the scope of the present invention .
this invention relates to the discovery that a very particular kind of nonionic surfactant , namely an alkyloxypolyethyleneoxyethanol can be used as the sole active ingredient to control fungus , mites , worms , termites , nematodes and other insects . it is believed that these alkyloxypolyethyleneoxyethanols can be represented by the formula : ## str1 ## wherein n is from 9 to 15 and m is from 3 to 40 .