Fishing – trapping – and vermin destroying – Vermin destroying – Poison holders
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-14
2001-05-01
Rowan, Kurt (Department: 3644)
Fishing, trapping, and vermin destroying
Vermin destroying
Poison holders
C043S132100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06223465
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the field of insect control, and more particularly to a bait-and-switch liquid delivery apparatus for the control of insects.
Various traps and other types of insecticide delivery systems have been developed in an attempt to control flying insects with varying degrees of success. Insecticide delivery systems are sometimes categorized as being either of the “quick kill” variety or of a “delayed kill” type.
Quick kill systems use pesticides that kill shortly after contact or ingestion. Quick kill pesticides are usually used in aerosol and spray insecticide systems. Unfortunately, quick kill pesticides are typically only effective on individual or very small groups of insects, and thus the entire colony of insects cannot be irradicated unless the entire colony is exposed to the quick kill pesticide. Such exposure can rarely be accomplished due to the limitations of dispensing such pesticides.
Pesticides which have a “delayed kill” action are most useful against social insects such as wasps and bees. If a “delayed kill” pesticide is ingested by wasps and bees, the active substance toxic to the insect will be carried back to the home colony where it will be shared by other members such as larvae, workers, and the queen. If sufficient toxicant is transported back into the home colony, it is possible to irradicate the entire colony. In order to assure that sufficient toxicant is carried back to the nest or home colony, the formulation containing the active toxicant must be palatable to the insect.
Wasps, which include such species as yellow jackets and hornets, are generally categorized as feeding source generalists. However, wasps are quite sensitive to the presence of adulterants in food. Thus, palatable toxicant formulations must be carefully prepared so that the levels of toxicants, surfactants and other substances are carefully blended to provide an attractive bait. However, degradation of the toxicant often times results in bait which, although initially attractive, ultimately becomes unpalatable.
An approach to getting wasps such as yellow jackets and hornets to ingest a toxicant that has been found very effective has been called the “bait-and-switch” technique. This technique essentially allows the wasps to become accustomed to a liquid food source containing no toxicants, i.e. a liquid formulated with bait only which is attractive to the insect during an initial feeding period. As a result, these insects are baited or trained to continue feeding from what they consider to be a palatable formulation even after a toxicant is added to the formulation. For such a method to be convenient and effective, a specialized delivery system needs to be employed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides an insect bait-and-switch liquid delivery apparatus for the control of flying insects, especially wasps. The apparatus provides an economical and easily manufactured insect bait station that can contain a liquid insect bait and a liquid insect active substance toxic to the insects in such a way as to provide a very effective bait-and-switch apparatus to kill targeted insects. In particular, the apparatus trains wasps to become accustomed to a liquid food source containing no toxicants, i.e. a bait only formulation, so that they subsequently continue feeding from the source after a toxicant is added to the formulation after an initial feeding period. The active ingredient is added automatically to the bait without any further specific positive action by the end user or consumer who purchases the apparatus.
The apparatus has a first reservoir containing a first liquid formulated with a bait attractive to an insect, a feeding station for making liquid from the reservoir available to an insect, a conveying means for conveying liquid from the reservoir to the feeding station, a second reservoir containing a second liquid formulated with an active substance toxic to the insect, the second reservoir floating on the bait-only liquid in the first reservoir, and means sequentially operable to initially prevent admixing of the second toxic liquid with the bait-only liquid during an initial feeding period, but after the initial feeding period, to subsequently enable admixing of the liquid active with the liquid bait to provide a bait-active mixture which is conveyed to the feeding station. In this manner, the insect is initially trained to become accustomed to a liquid food source, and thereafter to continue feeding from the source after a toxicant is added to the formulation. Thus, as the insects travel back and forth from the apparatus to their nest, the active toxin is spread throughout the entire nest to exterminate all members of the nest without the time consuming necessity of actually physically locating the nest or the relatively dangerous activity of directly spraying the nest with a quick kill insecticide.
In order to accomplish the above, the apparatus has three main components. An open top container forms the reservoir for containing the liquid bait, a feed station assembly mounted on the container, and a cover for enclosing the feed station and providing a means for hanging the apparatus in a location known to be frequented by the target insect. The feed station assembly includes a support for an absorbent pad which provides a substantially flat feeding surface, and which is connected to an absorbent wick which extends into the interior of the container so that its free end contacts the liquid within the container. This wick conveys liquid from the first reservoir within the container to the flat feeding surface of the absorbent pad. The feed station assembly also includes a series of access ports allowing the insects to reach and feed from the absorbent feeding pad. The feed assembly also includes a central tubular core which extends from the pad support into the interior of the container and terminates with an open bottom end at a desired spaced distance from the bottom surface of the container.
The second reservoir comprises a capsule containing the liquid formulated to be toxic to the insect. The capsule is comprised of a frangible glass ampoule containing the active liquid contained within a plastic deformable sleeve. The glass ampoule is mounted between a buoyant float at one end of the sleeve and a liquid permeable member at the other end of the sleeve. The capsule is mounted within the central core in an upright orientation so that it floats on the liquid bait in the reservoir with the permeable end of the capsule out of contact with the liquid. As the liquid bait is depleted due to the feeding action of insects on the absorbent pad, the capsule slowly moves downwardly toward the lower end of the central core. Eventually, as the level of the liquid in the container continues to decrease, the capsule clears the lower end of the central core. The float then ensures that the capsule tips sideways enabling the toxin to admix with the liquid bait through the permeable member. Thereafter, as the insects continue to feed, they ingest the liquid active and the liquid bait. Thus, as the insects travel back and forth from the apparatus to their nest, the active is spread throughout all the insects in the colony resulting in irradication of the entire insect colony.
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Nelson Cory J.
Soller Douglas A.
Rowan Kurt
S. C. Johnson & Son Inc.
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