INSECT TRAP WITH COMPOUND BAIT

Abstract

Insect trap comprising a container divided into at least two internal cavities where the first cavity houses a first solid or semi-solid bait with a toxic substance and the second cavity houses a second much more volatile bait comprising an attractant and volatile substance impregnated in a holder where both baits act in a coordinated manner, since the more volatile substance disperses the attractant substance such as water vapor, causing the insects to enter the trap and easily access the first bait.

Claims

1. An INSECT TRAP WITH COMPOUND BAIT comprising: a container inside which the bait is disposed, which container comprises a base (3) and a cover (2), which are movable with respect to each other to define a position of use, where the cover and the base being as far away from each other as possible, and a storage and transportation position, where the cover and base are as close as possible, and which, in the position of use, presents some open perimeter windows (16) that connect an interior and an exterior thereof, allowing the entry and exit of insects, as well as the dispersal of a volatile substances for attracting the insects and where, in the transportation and storage position, said perimeter windows are closed, and further comprising: a first cavity (7) disposed inside the interior of the container with the volatile substance comprising a first bait (17) including a first compound comprising a toxic substance; a second cavity disposed inside the interior of the container with the volatile substance comprising a second bait comprising a holder (13) impregnated with a second compound comprising water and a toxic substance; the cover (2) further comprises a central upper partition (5) and an inner upper partition (6); the base comprises an inner lower partition (10) that is complementary to the inner upper partition (6); so that when disposed in the storage and transportation position, the inner upper partition (6) and the inner lower partition (10) are disposed in contact with each other and cooperatively close the first cavity, and the central upper partition (5) engages the base to close the second cavity; and so that when disposed in the position of use, the central upper partition (5) and the inner upper partition (6) have ascended, remaining open and connected to the first and second cavities, and Sliders (16) and lifters (21).

2. The INSECT TRAP WITH COMPOUND BAIT according to claim 1, wherein the first compound comprises an attractant substance.

3. The INSECT TRAP WITH COMPOUND BAIT according to claim 1, wherein the first cavity and the second cavity are disposed adjacent.

4. (canceled)

5. The INSECT TRAP WITH COMPOUND BAIT according to claim 1, wherein the first cavity (7) comprises holders (11).

6. The INSECT TRAP WITH COMPOUND BAIT according to claim 5, wherein the holders comprise ribs radially arranged inside the first cavity.

7. The INSECT TRAP WITH COMPOUND BAIT according to claim 1, wherein the first cavity (7) being in a central position and the second cavity surrounds a perimeter of the first cavity.

8. The INSECT TRAP WITH COMPOUND BAIT according to claim 1, wherein the cover further comprises, on a lower face, an upper perimeter partition (4).

9. The INSECT TRAP WITH COMPOUND BAIT according to claim 1, wherein the base further comprises, on an upper face, a lower perimeter partition (12).

10. The INSECT TRAP WITH COMPOSED BAIT according to claim 1, further comprising a third cavity, configured as a perimeter corridor, between the central upper partition (5) and a lower perimeter partition (12).

11. The INSECT TRAP WITH COMPOUND BAIT according to claim 10, wherein the sliders and lifters being arranged in the third cavity.

12. The INSECT TRAP WITH COMPOUND BAIT according to claim 1, wherein the first bait further comprises a monosaccharide or disaccharide sugar.

13. The INSECT TRAP WITH COMPOUND BAIT according to claim 12, wherein the second bait (18) further comprises an attractant substance other than water.

14. (canceled)

15. The INSECT TRAP WITH COMPOUND BAIT according to claim 12 wherein the second bait (18) includes a water dilution of the first bait.

16. The INSECT TRAP WITH COMPOUND BAIT according to claim 12, wherein the attractant substance other than water being monosaccharide or disaccharide sugar.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0057] To facilitate comprehension of the invention, the following figures are presented.

[0058] FIG. 1 shows in cross-section the trap (1) comprising the cover (2) and base (3), the first cavity (7) and the second cavity (8) which in this case are open when the trap is in the position of use.

[0059] On the cover (2) there are a series of partitions including an upper perimeter partition (4), an upper central partition (5) an upper inner partition (6). The first cavity (7) is delimited above by the cover (2) and the inner upper partition. The second cavity (8) is delimited above by the cover (2) the central upper partition (5) and the inner upper partition (6).

[0060] Also on the cover is the handle (9) which can be used as a grip for the user to rotate the cover relative to the base.

[0061] On the base can be observed the inner lower partition (10), the holders (11) arranged radially in the first cavity (7) and the lower perimeter partition (12).

[0062] One can also see the holder (13) for the second bait and the operculum (14) against which, in the trap's closed position, the upper central partition (5) will press, closing the second cavity (8).

[0063] FIG. 2 shows in exploded from, from an upper perspective, the different components including the cover (2) and the base (3) in which the perimeter windows (15) and lifters (15) are seen, which in this case are ramps that are the means by which the base forces the lifting of the cover.

[0064] You can also see the holder (13) for the second bait and the operculum (14)

[0065] FIG. 3 shows in exploded form, from an upper perspective, the different components including the cover (2) and the base (3) in which the perimeter windows (15), the operculum (14) and the holder (13) are seen.

[0066] The perimeter windows are open when the trap is in use and closed during transportation and storage.

[0067] At the bottom of the cover can be seen the sliders (16) in this case inclined rails that constitute the means by which the cover is lifted and which are complementary to the lifters at the base.

[0068] FIG. 4 shows, in cross-section, the closed trap where the first cavity (7) with the first bait (17) inside is separate and disconnected from the second cavity (8), with the second bait (18) inside, and which comprises the holder (13) and the second compound impregnated therein.

[0069] The base and cover are in their closest relative position, with the inner upper partition (6) in contact with the inner lower partition (10) thus closing the first cavity (7).

[0070] The second cavity (8) is delimited by the inner partitions that close the first cavity and by the central upper partition (5) that remains in contact with the operculum when the trap is closed (14). In the absence of an operculum, the central upper partition remains in contact with the floor (19) of the base.

[0071] FIG. 4 also shows the perimeter corridor (20) between the central upper partition (5) and the upper (4) and lower perimeter partitions (12).

[0072] FIG. 5 shows, in cross-section, the open trap in the position of use. In this position, the first cavity (7) and the second cavity (8) are connected and both are accessible from the outside by opening the windows (15).

[0073] FIG. 6 shows the assembly, revealing the sliders (16) and lifters (21) Description of one form of embodiment of the invention

[0074] A form of embodiment of the invention is shown here which is not unique but merely explanatory.

[0075] The trap with compound bait comprises a base (3), a cover (4) a lower perimeter partition (12) and an upper perimeter partition (4) that form an interior space divided into a first cavity (7), a second cavity (8) and a perimeter corridor (20).

[0076] In the first cavity (7) is housed a first bait (17) which is kept in said first cavity by the action of holders (11) comprising radial ribs. This first bait (17) comprises a first compound.

[0077] This first cavity (7) is delimited by the floor (19) of the base (3), the cover (2) the inner upper partition (6) and the inner lower partition (10).

[0078] In the position of use, that first cavity is open and connected to the rest of the inner space of the trap. In this position the inner upper partition (6) and the inner lower partition (10) are positioned some distance from each other when the cover is raised.

[0079] In the closed position, for transportation and storage, this first cavity remains closed and disconnected from the rest of the inner space of the trap. In this position, with the cover at its lowest position, the inner upper partition (6) and the inner lower partition (10) are in contact with each other.

[0080] The second cavity (8) surrounds the first cavity (7) and has an operculum (14) covering its floor. Over the operculum is positioned the holder (13) impregnated with the second compound, thus forming the second bait (18).

[0081] The second cavity (7), located on the perimeter of the first cavity, is delimited by the base, the cover, the inner lower partition (6) and inner upper partition (10) and the central upper partition (5), that runs the entire height from the cover (2) to the operculum (14).

[0082] In the area between the central upper partition and the perimeter partitions (4) and (12), a third cavity is created, which is a perimeter corridor that houses the sliders (16) and lifters.

[0083] The sliders (16) and lifters (21) are complementary ramp-shaped geometries such that, when the cover rotates on itself, this creates a relative forward movement of the lifter on the slider forcing the cover to rise.

[0084] Once the cover is raised by the rotation of the cover over the base, an unfolded crown causes the inside of the container to block the reverse motion, thus leaving the cover in a raised position.

[0085] The first bait (17), comprising a first compound, is located in the first cavity (7) which comprises holders (11) in the form of radial ribs of different lengths. As such, the bait is secured, making it difficult for an incorrect position of the trap to cause it to be displaced from this first cavity.

[0086] The second bait is positioned in the second cavity and surrounds the first bait. This second bait comprises a holder (13) and a second compound impregnated therein and is positioned on an operculum (14) that is wider than the support, where a flap on the perimeter of the operculum adapted to receive the central upper partition (5) protrudes from the area occupied by the bait.

[0087] The first compound and the second compound comprise the same substances although the second compound is diluted in water.

[0088] To facilitate the handling of the trap, a handle is provided on the upper face of the cover.

[0089] As can be perceived from all the preceding content, the trap is designed to be used by any insect capable of entering it, and the height and diameter can be dimensioned for virtually any small insect.

[0090] However, one preferred embodiment consists of using these traps to capture insects using a first food bait positioned in the center in a solid or semi-solid state (gel or paste) and using a second attractant bait in the form of a ring of absorbent material impregnated with a second compound with at least 50% water which supplies water and water vapor to the ants or cockroaches.

[0091] We have found that this type of double bait trap allows for the use of very different baits both in form and capacity to attract, which is to say: regardless of the nature of the first compound, the existence of a water vapor source emanating from the second bait surprisingly increases the immediate attraction, ingestion and, thus, effectiveness of the trap.

[0092] In reality this type of bait combination is suitable as long as the trap has different areas of bait types; it is not essential that the trap have the arrangement presented in this document in some of its variants: in the light of this document, it would be obvious to a person skilled in the art that a circular or cylindrical geometry is not strictly necessary.

[0093] One of the preferred applications of the present invention concerns its use in the control of ants, termites, bed bugs and cockroaches.

[0094] In the case of ants, the insecticide effect of the first bait preferably causes delayed mortality (from minutes to hours) so that the ants can poison the rest of the colony by trophallaxis—the exchange of food between insects of the same species orally or anally, in the case of ants, mouth-to-mouth—and eventually, kill the queen ant.

[0095] We have demonstrated that regardless of the specific formula of the first compound used in the first bait in the center, if the second bait is able to provide water (partially in the form of steam in a way that increases the radius of attraction) to ants or cockroaches, the attractant power of the trap until the second bait dries out, is significantly increased. This form of combined attraction is novel inasmuch as two objectives are achieved simultaneously: [0096] Achieving the attraction and ingestion of the first bait, which is persistent over time, inasmuch as it contains dry solids that are able to attract and be ingested and, in a novel manner, [0097] Achieving immediate attraction thanks to the action of a second bait comprising a hydrated medium with a second compound with at least 50% water that allows the water vapor to exert a high level of attraction from the moment the trap is opened.

[0098] There are ant and cockroach traps on the market containing one or the other bait, but under no circumstances are both types of bait found in the same device. Nor is it known to inventors that this combined mechanism has results as surprising as those we have discovered.

[0099] In particular, at least in the case of ants and cockroaches, water itself is a substance that is both attractant and volatile (effluvium), in addition to being a constituent of the natural food of ants and cockroaches, which fact is well known to experts in entomology. That is why, according to the interpretation of other paragraphs of this document, water cannot be excluded.

[0100] In this situation, we surprisingly found that a second bait with a high water content has an increased attractant capacity, and that additionally, since it serves as a first way of attracting ants to the second bait, it causes the ants and cockroaches to feed in larger quantities and more quickly from the first bait that will always contain a toxic substance.

[0101] With regard to the differences between ants (or termites) and cockroaches, we note that in ants it is advisable, for the most effective elimination of a colony, for trophallaxis to cause the insecticide poisoning of as many ants as possible, although there are certain uses where this is not necessary: as a non-limiting example, such as when it is sought to eliminate ants in an area without seeking to exterminate the entire anthill from which they derive. En este sentido, hay trampas comerciales que tienen este efecto de eliminación inmediata, en particular aquellas que contienen piretroides, a modo de ejemplo, esto hemos observado que ocurre en laboratorio si se usa un cebo conteniendo 1R-trans-fenotrina al 0.093% en p/p respecto al total de peso del cebo. In this case, ants begin to show signs of intoxication almost immediately after ingestion, with mortality at two hours above 50% (in wild Lasius niger raised in the laboratory), in standard trials according to a test guide of the Biocidal Products Directive (BPR) of the European Union (document incorporated here in full as a reference, in particular Guidance on the BPR: Volume II Efficacy—Assessment and Evaluation (Parts B+C), pages ISBN: 978-92-9020-502-9. By contrast, in the case of cockroaches, which are not social insects, immediate death poses no problem and may even be desirable for assessing its effectiveness in the field. Similar cases to cockroaches include bed bugs, clothes moths and other insects and mites of economic and health-related importance where the type of trap described in the present invention can be used. Entomologists can easily determine, taking into account the biology of the pest, whether the use of this trap is appropriate or not.

[0102] Moreover, we have observed that if the second bait contains a certain amount of insecticide, in addition to water, this area of the trap can also be used in the event that insects that manage to feed on this second bait are satiated and do not go on to feed on the first bait.

[0103] Optionally, to improve their attractive power, the first and second compounds, and thus the first and second baits, can incorporate added attractant substances that may be sugars, preferably monosaccharides and disaccharides, as well as easy-to-obtain products that contain them.