Fishing – trapping – and vermin destroying – Traps – Insect
Patent
1994-04-07
1996-10-08
Hail, III, Joseph J.
Fishing, trapping, and vermin destroying
Traps
Insect
431321, 43108, 52101, A01M 120
Patent
active
055619410
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to methods and means for providing surfaces upon which insects can neither climb nor alight, and more particularly, to non-toxic, non-debilitating methods and means for causing crawling insects to abandon a site they have infested, for discouraging crawling insects from infesting a site where they are not wanted and for preventing an insect from alighting or clinging to an inclined surface.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
The crawling insects of the type with which this invention is concerned are those which are pests or nuisances to man. These include, for example, gypsy moths that crawl from the ground up into trees to devour the leaves of the trees; cockroaches, spiders, scales and palm aphids which are often offensive in appearance and may carry and spread disease; and, perhaps the most widespread and annoying of the general group, is the ubiquitous ant. The ant exists in many forms including the destructive leaf eater, Argentine, carpenter and pharaoh ants, the termites and, of course, the militant and destructive fire ant. Fire ants may cause havoc, particularly in the warmer climates, by infesting various electrical apparatus such as transformers and switch boxes and, because of their aggressive habits and acidic residues, cause breakdowns of the insulation and destroy the electrical operation of a device. Ants may be attracted to electrical devices because of the magnetic field created by the alternating current and perhaps by the warmth and shelter provided in the interior of an electrical device.
Many pesticides and insecticides are available which will kill or disrupt the life cycle of crawling insects, but essentially all of them are environmentally objectionable because of their toxicity. The toxicity which can endanger animals and humans prevents the use of pesticides and insecticides at times when food is present as in dinning rooms, kitchens, picnic tables, pet food dishes and the like.
Pesticides and insecticides are also less than ideal in function when used in an outdoor environment in which they may be washed away or otherwise rendered ineffective when exposed to the elements.
A number of crawling insect traps are disclosed in the prior patent art which utilize surfaces that have been treated to make it difficult for insects to crawl over the surfaces. Typically, these traps have a vertically disposed surface that the crawling insects must crawl over to get out of the trap. By one method, a sticky substance is spread over the surface which entraps the insect, much like fly paper, or, by an alternative method, a vertical surface is made slippery to the crawling insect so that the insect loses its footing and slides into the tray.
An early attempt to make an insect trap with a slippery vertical surface is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 400,460 where there is shown a trap in the form of an open topped box fitted with inwardly and downwardly slanting sidewalls. The upper portions of the slanting sidewalls are covered with a moderately rough material, such as paint, paper or cloth, and immediately subjacent this surface is a polished surface that, it is said, causes the insect, upon leaving the comparatively rough surface, to lose its footing, slide down the polished surface and fall into the bottom of the trap.
Variations of the 400,460 patent in which a slippery vertically disposed surface is used appear in U.S. Pat. No. 1,667,048 in which a slippery glazed surface is used; U.S. Pat. No. 2,167,978 in which the vertically disposed surface is treated with a powder that adheres to and renders ineffective the cupolas and cleaving balls of insect's legs; U.S. Pat. No. 3,851,417 in which a slippery film is made from a mixture of lanolin and linseed oil; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,030,233 in which a slippery surface is provided by soaps or other fatty substances. Representative of the sticky substances method is U.S. Pat. No. 2,606,391 which discloses a hydrophilic, non-drying, high viscosity gel to entrap a crawling insect.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,263,740 is of inter
REFERENCES:
patent: 4794724 (1989-01-01), Peters
patent: 5392559 (1995-02-01), Long
patent: 5414954 (1995-05-01), Long
Consep, Inc.
Hail III Joseph J.
Miner James
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