GB2128463A

GB2128463A - Insect feeding station

Info

Publication number: GB2128463A
Application number: GB08227019A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Eugene H Brandli
Original assignee: American Cyanamid Co
Current assignee: Wyeth Holdings LLC
Priority date: 1982-08-12
Filing date: 1982-09-22
Publication date: 1984-05-02
Also published as: NL8203854A; SE455912B; SE8205653D0; SE8205653L; BR8205744A; GB2128463B

Abstract

An insect feeding station has a central poison area 24, guide and baffle walls 30, 20 leading from the periphery of the station to the central poison area and a cover. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Insect feeding station This invention relates to a device for destroying insects. It more particularly relates to an insect feeding station whereby poison may be administered to insects without endangering children or domestic animals, and having means to guide insects to the poison.

Various types of devices have been known in the prior art for destroying insects. In some devices, the insects are trapped in the device after entering, either by mechanical construction, or by sticking to a gummy substance. In either instance, the device is soon full and useless. In devices which contained a poison, it was easy to shake out loose poison, or probe through openings to reach the poison, thus making them a danger to children or small domestic animals.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide an insect feeding station which is not dangerous to children.

Another object is to provide means to guide insects toward the poison in an insect feeding station.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent as the description thereof proceeds.

The objects of this invention may be attained by the use of the present invention. The device of the present invention has a base portion for carrying the poison, and a cover. The base portion has outer case walls having a plurality of openings, and a floor for receiving a poison at the center thereof.

The outer case may be of any configuration, e.g.

round, square or rectangular. Desirably, both the base portion and cover are made of opaque material.

The base has guide means in the form of inner walls leading from the openings up to the location of the poison and the walls are so positioned or shaped that a probe cannot contact the poison if thrust into any of the outer wall openings. The cover of the device desirably is permanently affixed to the base, to prevent tampering by children.

The poison to be used is preferably of the type known as bait, i.e. it is a mixture of slow acting poison and some food material attractive to insects, such as flour, molasses, peanut butter or the like. The bait is preferably of a paste-like or solid consistency. Thus, insects are attracted to the device, eat the bait and leave the device to die elsewhere. The bait may be a molded shape, e.g. a flat wafer, affixed to the floor of the inner compartment. In one embodiment of the instant invention, the cover which is affixed to the base has a downwardly projecting dimple positioned such that the lower end thereof contacts a solid poison bait, thereby providing a means to secure the bait in place, whether or not the bait is otherwise affixed to the floor of the inner compartment.In another embodiment, a depression may be formed in the floor of the inner compartment and a paste-like bait or a solid bait inserted thereinto, the floor of the base portion of the device being sloped upward from the outer edges thereof so that when the depression is formed it does not extend below the plane of the outer edges of the floor. In a still further embodiment, a solid bait may be inserted into a depression formed in the floor of the inner compartment and the cover formed with the downwardly projecting dimple such that the lower end thereof will contact the solid bait and secure the same within the depression.

The invention may be better understood by reference to the drawings in which: Figure 1 is a top plan view of an embodiment of the invention having guide walls and baffle walls, with the cover removed; Figure 2 is a view in elevation of the embodiment in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a top plan view of an embodiment of the invention, with the cover removed, having both outer and inner insect guide means; Figure 4 is a view in elevation of the embodiment of Figure 3; Figures 5 and 7 represent alternative embodiments of the guide and baffle walls; Figures 6 and 8 are views in elevation respectively of the embodiments shown in Figures 5 and 7; Figures 9 and 11 are top plan views of embodiments of the invention, with the cover removed, having a plurality of openings and guide and baffle walls; Figure 10 is a view in elevation of the embodiment of Figure 9, with the cover in place;; Figure 12 is a top perspective view of an embodiment of the insect feeding station of the present invention, with part of the cover broken away, with alternative outer walls and guide mans; and Figure 13 is a top plan view of the embodiment of Figure 12, with the cover removed.

Referring to Figure 1, the insect feeding station shown comprises a base portion 10 and cover 12.

The base portion may be of any suitable material such as metal or plastic, and is opaque. Base portion 10 has outer casing wall 14 with openings 16, a floor 18, inner compartment walls 20 with openings 22. Inner compartment walls 20 form an inner compartment 24. Bait 26 is affixed to floor 18 in inner compartment 24.

The inner surface of the outer casing wall 14 is curved inwardly at 30 to guide insects entering openings 1 6 towards openings 22 into the inner poison compartment 24. This is done to prevent an insect from entering at one outer opening 1 6, and wandering randomly along the inner wall and out the other opening 1 6.

Cover 1 2 extends to the periphery of outer casing walls 14 to close the base portion 10 and may also be of any suitable opaque material.

Although the cover has been illustrated as a flat disc, it will be readily apparent that it could also have an outer wall extending downwardly over outer wall 14 so long as the openings 1 6 are not obstructed. Cover 1 2 is permanently affixed to base 10, as by adhesive or any suitable means.

As illustrated, the insect feeding station may be flat on the floor or other desired area. Insects may enter the device through openings 1 6 and are guided by curved walls 30 to offset openings 22 to reach bait 26 in the inner compartment, and may leave through the same openings.

Although insects may easily reach the bait, it will be readily apparent in Figure 1 that a probe placed in any opening 1 6 in the outer casing wall 14 will not enter the inner compartment 24 due to offset openings 22 in wall 20. Thus, the device is safe from inquisitive children.

The device could also be mounted on vertical surfaces by means, for example, of double sided adhesive tape, not shown, on the lower surface of base portion 10. Since bait 26 is affixed to the floor of, or otherwise rendered secure in the inner compartment 24, it will not be disturbed and will remain in the same position within the device.

Figure 3 illustrates an embodiment of the invention which is essentially similar to the embodiment of Figures 1 and 2 in the interior structure of the device. The outer case walls 32 are elongated and curved inwardly towards case openings 16 to provide outer guide walls 34.

Guide walls 34 serve to direct insects toward opening 1 6 so that they will be more likely to enter the insect feeding station, and interior guide walls 30 direct the insects towards openings 22 into the inner compartment 24 and to poison 26.

In the embodiment of Figures 5 to 8, the openings 1 6 in outer casing walls 36, of base portion 10 are bounded by inner curved walls 38 directly to poison 26 by a curved path. Thus the walls 38 serve both as guide walls and a baffle means. Insects will be guided along walls 38 to poison 26, but a probe thrust into openings 16 could not reach poison 26. The device is thus safe from children.

In the embodiment of Figures 9 and 10, the device has a base portion 10 having a floor 40 with a poison 26 at the center thereof. The base portion 10 has a plurality of arcuate walls 42 extending from the periphery 44 of floor 40 essentially to the area of poison 26. There is in effect no outer wall to the device and the arcuate walls form a plurality of openings 46 leading directly to poison 26. A cover 12 extends to the outer ends of arcuate walls 42. Insects entering openings 46 will be guided along walls 42 to poison 26. The walls 42 have a curvature such that a probe thrust into opening 46 cannot contact poison 26.

The embodiment of Figure 11 is essentially similar to that shown in Figure 9, except that it has a plurality of straight guide walls 42, instead of the arcuate walls 42 of the embodiment in Figure 9.

The straight guide walls 42 are directed from the periphery of the device tangential to poison 26, so that the insects will be guided to poison 26, but a probe inserted into any of the plurality of openings 46 cannot contact poison 26.

The embodiment of Figures 12 and 13 is similar to the embodiment shown in Figures 9 and 10, except the base portion 43 is essentially square, being vacuum formed from a flat sheet of plastic to form walls 48 and 45. The outer case walls 48 are elongated and curved inwardly towards the poison 26 to provide guide walls 45.

The extended walls 48 form a plurality of openings 46 leading directly to poison 26. The cover 12 extends to the outer edges of walls 48. Insects enter the openings 46 and are guided along walls 45 to the poison 26. Obviously, the walls may be adjusted as desired, and need not be precisely as shown, so long as a probe thrust into any of the openings 46 cannot reach poison 26. In this embodiment as well, a probe inserted into any of the plurality of openings 46 cannot contact poison 26.

It will be seen that the present invention provides an insect feeding station for administering poison to insects, particularly crawling insects, which has means to guide insects to the poison and entry baffle system so that direct probing of the bait-containing compartment is not possible.

Claims

1. An opaque insect feeding station for administering poison to insects comprising a base portion and a cover, said base portion having a floor with poison at the center thereof, a plurality of openings at the periphery of said base portion, guide means to guide insects from said openings to said center, and baffle means to prevent direct probing from said openings to said center.

2. The insect feeding station of Claim 1 wherein said guide and baffle means comprise curved walls directed from the periphery of said floor toward the center thereof.

3. The insect feeding station of Claim 1 wherein said guide and baffle means comprise straight walls directed from the periphery of said floor tangentially to said center.

4. The insect feeding station of Claim 1 wherein said poison is a bait mixture of food and poison.

5. The insect feeding station of Claim 4 wherein said bait mixture is a solid mixture, optionally affixed to the floor at the center thereof.

6. The insect feeding station of Claim 1 comprising means to affix said station to a vertical surface.

7. The insect feeding station of Claim 5 wherein the cover has a downwardly projecting dimple positioned such that the lower end thereof contacts said solid mixture, thereby securing said solid mixture in place at the center of said floor.

8. The insect feeding station of Claim 7 wherein said solid mixture is positioned in a depression formed at the center of said floor and the floor of the base portion is sloped upward from the outer edges thereof so that the depression does not extend below the plane of the outer edges of the floor.

9. An opaque insect feeding station, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10, 11 or 12-13 of the accompanying drawings.