Development of Bio-adhesives Derived from Hornet Nests

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25660143
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Wood science
• Research Institution: Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute
• Principal Investigator: TOHMURA Shin-ichiro 独立行政法人森林総合研究所, 複合材料研究領域, 領域長 (70353779)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): KAMEDA Tsunenori 独立行政法人農業生物資源研究所, 新機能素材研究開発ユニット, ユニット長 (70334042) ; MIYAMOTO Kohta 独立行政法人森林総合研究所, 複合材料研究領域, 主任研究員 (70353878) ; MATSUBARA Eri 独立行政法人森林総合研究所, 複合材料研究領域, 主任研究員 (20467898)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 接着剤 / スズメバチ / 巣

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The hornet hardens a small piece of wood with saliva and makes a nest. We paid our attention to saliva of a hornet used for a nest functioning as adhesive of the small piece of wood. In this study, we tried to isolate and identify the effective ingredient included in saliva of the hornet and to develop a new bio-adhesive for wood-based materials. We obtained several nests of some Vespa species and investigated the structural properties of pillars in their hornet nests. In addition, we analyzed compounds which we extracted from the salivary gland of "Vespa simillima" and "Vespa analis" adults and tried to estimate their bonding ability to wood.

Free Research Field

木質材料