Composite materials that are palatable to a wood-destroying pest species and also pesticidal to the pest species can be used in pest control devices and can be used as wood substitutes for structural components, which are resistant to destruction by wood-destroying pests. The composite materials include a thermoplastic polymer, a food material for the pest and a pesticide. The composite material is formed by mixing a thermoplastic polymer, wood fragments or other cellulosic materials and a quantity of pesticide, and thereafter creating a molten material within a mixer, compounder, extruder or the like. The molten material is extruded or molded to form the desired shape.

An ant bait stake is provided having two components including an outer housing and an inner bait pack or reservoir that is separate from the outer housing. The outer housing includes a bait pack compartment for receiving the bait pack, and a ground engaging member such as a stake. A break-away tab including a neck portion with a bait access channel therein extends outwardly of the housing, the tab being removable by the consumer without any tools or other devices to open the bait access channel when the ant bait stake is ready for use.

A crawling insect detection and protection system includes a curved member for attachment to a surface. The curved member has a coarse textured outer surface and a smooth interior surface, the interior surface includes a grooved upper lip located at a top portion of the curved member and a smooth lower lip located at a bottom portion of the curved member. The width of the grooved upper lip is recessed from the bottom lip to allow a crawling insect to fall into the lower lip portion. The system includes an attachment means which may be an adhesive fastener and/or a mechanical fastener for affixing a mounting surface of the flexible curved member to an attachment surface.

A pest control and/or detection system generally includes an electrically conductive bait matrix including at least one carrier material that is at least one of palatable, a phagostimulant and/or consumable and/or displaceable by pests, and a plurality of electrically conductive particles. The electrically conductive particles are substantially randomly interspersed throughout the at least one carrier material. The at least one carrier material includes a thermoplastic material and/or a resin.

A biodegradable bait station is disclosed that can be used with liquid baits targeting pest ants in urban, agricultural, and natural setting, which can overcome several limitations that most of other liquid bait stations currently experience. For example, instead of keeping a large quantity of liquid bait in a reservoir, a small amount, for example, 10-20 ml of sugary liquid bait with an insecticide, for example, boric acid, thiamethoxam, imidacloprid, will be contained in a biodegradable cylindrical container with one open end. The open end will be plugged with a piece of water absorbent polymer or gel, for example, polyacrylamide gel, sodium alginate. The water absorbent polymer or gel absorbs the liquid bait and expands inside of the cylindrical container so that it will function as a polymer wick to deliver a small amount of the liquid bait to foraging ants.

A pest control and/or detection system generally includes an electrically conductive bait matrix including at least one carrier material that is at least one of palatable, a phagostimulant and/or consumable and/or displaceable by pests, and a plurality of electrically conductive particles. The electrically conductive particles are substantially randomly interspersed throughout the at least one carrier material. The at least one carrier material includes a thermoplastic material and/or a resin.

A termite control bait container includes an upper end portion opposite a lower end portion. The bait container includes a chamber containing a termite bait. The lower end portion includes an air-trapping pocket below at least a portion of the bait to reduce intrusion of water through the lower end portion when installed in a selected orientation at least partially below ground.

An insect trap may include a first housing; a reservoir at least partially defined by the first housing; a protrusion disposed within the reservoir and extending inward from an interior surface of the first housing, the protrusion configured to pierce a package disposed within the reservoir; an actuator connected to the protrusion such that when the actuator is moved, the protrusion moves with the actuator within the reservoir; a second housing moveably engaging the first housing; a trap chamber partially formed by the first and second housings; an inlet into the trap chamber; and wherein the second housing is movable between a first position where the inlet is open and a second position where the inlet is closed. The trap may include a package enclosing an attractant composition. The package has a release rate of the attractant composition from about 5 g per day to about 500 g per day.

In a pest monitoring system (21) and method, a monitoring device (111) is located in proximity to a structure and includes a bait product (113) and a sensor (116) disposed within the bait product. The sensor includes a filament (118) encased within an encasement (119) and reactive to exposure to the environment exterior of the encasement such that at least one electrical characteristic of the sensor changes in response to such exposure. A communication member (121) is connected to the bait product in communication with the sensor to determine the at least one electrical characteristic and send a signal indicative of the at least one electrical characteristic. Based on a plurality of the signals received from of infestation of pests at the at least one monitoring device and a level of degradation of the bait product is determined.

A liquid ant bait pack having a primary bait well and a plurality of feeding reservoirs for holding liquid bait is provided in which the walls of the feeding reservoirs as well as the primary bait well are sloped to facilitate ant access to the liquid bait held therein while reducing the risk of the ants falling into the bait and drowning. Ant access is further facilitated by dry platform areas positioned between the reservoirs. The inclusion of multiple feeding reservoirs, the bait well and the dry platform areas provides an increased area over which ants can simultaneously access the bait. The entrance to the bait pack is sealed during manufacture and then readily opened by the consumer using a tear-off tab that can removed without the need for any tools.