INSECT BAIT

Abstract

An insect bait that can be carried by the insect, that includes a toxicant capable of killing insects in a nest, and that includes attractants, having at least one non-toxic layer that delays contact with the toxicant, wherein the size, shape and attractants attract the insect to take the whole of the bait to a nest situation where further manipulation of the bait by the insect will release the toxicant.

Claims

1. A wasp bait capable of killing wasps and larvae at a nest, the wasp bait comprising: a toxicant; at least one non-toxic protective layer that encases the toxicant, said layer including physical deformations to facilitate destruction of the bait at the nest; a non-toxic attractant layer that attracts foraging wasps, said attractant layer is bonded to and encases the at least one non-toxic protective layer; and wherein the size and shape of the wasp bait allows the wasp to carry the whole wasp bait to the wasp nest, and upon manipulation of the non-toxic attractant layer by a worker wasp causes the at least one non-toxic protective layer to at least partially destruct at the physical deformations and to concurrently release at least a portion of the toxicant within the nest.

2. The wasp bait of claim 1, wherein the non-toxic attractant layer includes at least one scent component.

3. The wasp bait of claim 2, wherein the scent component is selected from of at least one of a protein, a carbohydrate, and a pheromone.

4. The wasp bait of claim 1, wherein the wasp bait has a substantially spherical shape and a diameter of less than about 10 mm.

5. The wasp bait of claim 1, further comprising a tracking device.

6. The wasp bait of claim 5, wherein the tracking device is configured to be carried by the wasp and to locate the wasp nest.

7. The wasp bait of claim 1, wherein at least one non-toxic protective layer disposed between the toxicant and the non-toxic attractant layer includes a gelatin.

8. The wasp bait of claim 1, wherein when said physical deformations are in a first position, the non-toxic protective layer conceals said toxicant and when a worker wasp sufficiently manipulates the bait at the nest, the protective layer is degraded and the toxicant is spilled.

9. The wasp bait of claim 1, wherein the physical deformations of the non-toxic attractant layer are selected from perforations, holes, slits and combinations thereof.

10. The wasp bait of claim 9, wherein said at least one non-toxic protective layer has a substantially spherical shape.

11. The wasp bait of claim 10, wherein said physical deformations are a plurality of slits that intersect at a top of the protective layer and at a bottom of the protective layer.

Description

IN THE DRAWINGS

[0044] FIG. 1 shows a flat view of a hollow sphere made preferably of a suitable plastic, however other materials may also be used. It is joined as one piece to a holding strip.

[0045] Slits 1 are shown on the face of the drawing and it is assumed that the back view is identical. With this the sphere is for its purpose a solid type object.

[0046] FIG. 2 shows the hollow sphere compressed against a solid surface 2 and the slits 1 are opened. This allows the insecticide dust 3 to be shaken or vibrated in to fill the sphere.

[0047] FIG. 3 shows the slits 1 closed with the insecticide dust 3 contained within, an attractant layer 4 completely surrounding the sphere, where the sphere has been cut away 5 from its holding strip, and the slits 1 no longer joined 6 at the top of the sphere.

[0048] The attractant layer 4 forces the slits 1 to remain closed until the insect feeds upon the attractant layer in the nest.

[0049] FIG. 4 shows the sphere without the attractant layer and how the sphere will open when pressure from the attractant layer is removed thus spilling the insecticide dust 3 from the opened slits, but still retains its shape for rolling movement.

[0050] FIG. 5 shows another example of a sphere where a piece of gelatine-skin 7, but any suitable materials can be used, is wrapped around an amount of insecticide dust 3, and twisted at the top to form a sphere.

[0051] FIG. 6 shows the sphere having an attractant layer 4 completely surrounding the gelatine-skin 7. This was done by dipping it into an attractant mix and because the dipping involves moisture content the gelatine-skin 7 adheres itself and becomes part of the attractant layer 4. The insecticide dust 3 is shown contained within.

[0052] FIG. 7 shows the sphere with the twisted piece cut off and the sphere is re-dipped into the attractant mix to make the sphere smooth and joined. This is also a diagram of how a finished bait ball or sphere will be, in that it shows a toxicant, in this case insecticide dust 3, a destructing layer, in this case a gelatine-skin 7, and an attractant layer 4.

[0053] FIG. 8 shows the sphere with a piece of the attractant layer 4 peeled away, as is the gelatine-skin 7 thus allowing the insecticide dust 3 to spill.

[0054] A third sphere (not drawn) was made by using a tube, a plastic drinking straw that had a section removed lengthwise to make it smaller, and then two bands or slices were cut from an end to make two broken cut circles. One band was fitted inside the other at a 90 degree angle to make a ball-shape. This had the effect of having four open slits. Powder was vibrated into the ball by placing the ball into a container with the powder and shaken. The ball was then removed and covered with a thin layer of pure icing sugar mixture to plug the slits and allowed to dry. It was then dipped in the attractant mix.

[0055] It is assumed that different methods other than those shown here will be used in manufacturing the ball/sphere to attain the same results. It is by no means suggested that these are the only ways in which the baits can be manufactured.

[0056] It could have many slits or openings or only one. It could be two halves fitted together and be made of different materials that react, for example one shrinks, and the other expands. Or it could be a thin layer of icing sugar which serves as the solid barrier once set and does not mix with powder or toxin, yet will crack when dry and is soft enough to be peeled away with attractant surround. Many different materials of either food or artificial materials should be suitable.

[0057] These are shown to explain that it is possible to contain powder/insecticide or a toxicant within a barrier and that the barrier must break down in some way once the outer attractant layer is beginning to be removed, and that combinations and different attractants can easily be used or placed in different parts of the bait ball construction. The preferred toxicant and attractants will dictate the means of containment and the final composition of the bait.

[0058] The best result is expected to be the product that does all of the following factors; it will contain within itself some form of toxicant so that the insect will not immediately come into contact with the toxicant. It will destruct in some way. It will have a surrounding attractant layer. It will be light enough and the right size to carry easily.

[0059] The spherical design gives flexibility to all aspects of the components of the bait. They can all be changed for ease of manufacture or for the preferred method in killing the insect or different species of wasp. In general terms the most efficient way to kill a wasp nest is with a contact insecticide/toxicant, but if the preferred method is the eradication by ingestion, the toxicant inside the ball can be an agent with attractants or a substance more easily digested or more palatable for this purpose, and may be different than the outer attractants. If in specific circumstances, there is a need for fumes to be used, for example, ether, kerosene, distillate or soapy water to suffocate, the ball design will suit the purpose. Or if necessary a tracking device that was small and light enough to be carried and the nest to be located and eradicated. Any number of means may work and could be used. Manufacturing a bait that contains the insecticide/toxicant within a barrier or layer so that it cannot affect the wasp until it reaches the nest means that different insecticides or toxicants can be used than were used in previous methods of baiting. And if a specific amount of insecticide/toxicant is known to kill a specific number or area of insects, for example 5 grams will kill m.sup.2, then knowing that a ball will hold 0.5 g to 1 g of insecticide/toxicant it can be assumed that the amount of balls needed would be 5-10. The known factor of the amount of toxin needed to kill a nest, depending on its size, is relevant to the amount of toxin in each ball, and if the equivalent of one wasp will return to the same food source, on average, every five minutes, it should be possible to kill a nest within a day.

[0060] The object is for the wasp to take the whole bait and for the outer layer/s to be removed by the wasp once in the nest. It specifically targets wasps and European and English wasps in particular by using scents they are attracted to and by method, they have to do their natural rolling up action with the ball to carry it to the nest and they don't feed on it until in the nest. Providing the ball is the right size and shape for carrying, the wasp will take the whole ball without interfering with any part of the ball and its construction. The ball will easily destruct in some way as it's starting to be consumed and the toxicant will spill into the nest, and continue to do so, simply by its shape and the manner in which the toxicant is released. It is important that the destructing layer allows toxicant to spill from partial openings in case the wasps are repelled by the toxicant, mixing or manufacturing attractants with the toxicant should help to relieve this.

[0061] All components of the ball design are interchangeable for ease of manufacture and for method of control for different species of the insect, they can be separate components with specific purposes or combined with one another. The toxicant can be different forms (e.g. dust, solid, liquid, gas, cream, paste, gel etc.) or different types of toxicants/insecticides e.g. ingestion, contact or others, chemicals, biological etc. The layer encasing the toxicant can be different forms, for example it can be a form of plastic with perforations or slits or easily torn, that holds the toxicant encased within itself until pressure is released by the attractant layer being removed and it releases the toxicant. Or it could be a layer that is made of a different material, natural or artificial, but will join, fuse, meld together to attractants and that will tear away from the toxicant when the attractant layer is removed thus spilling the toxicant. Or the attractant could be a mix of materials made into a ball that has the toxicant injected or by some method placed into the centre of it therefore making the attractants material the containment or protective layer.

[0062] The spherical design having an outer layer that is specifically for an attractant purpose means that different attractants may be used, whether individually layered or combined in one layer, and if an attractant is not as suited for certain species of wasps, an attractant can be used that is. Wasps are not attracted much by taste or colour so may be able to include these as repellants for other insects. And because wasps locate primarily by odour, it may be possible to have the attractant as a substance that has odours added yet is not real food. They could be one or two completely different scents, generally speaking meats and sugars, or as many combinations as needed for the attractant to work. They could be any number of odours and varying in strength. Wasps are not repelled by combinations and by combining scents it is less attractive to other insects. Combining the odours also helps to overcome the times when wasps are not greatly attracted to protein baits. The toxicant and the layer containing the toxicant can be manufactured so that it has a scent that is attractive to the wasp, thus keeping the whole of the ball or bait attractive and to allow toxicant to spill or spread effectively. Wasps also are attracted to scents that are not natural to a localized area, so a range of scents can be used, or odours that have been isolated. It may be of interest to know that even though wasps are attracted to meats, for example, that the attraction varies within that one piece of meat and is dependent on several factors, whether it is cooked or fresh, soft or hard, amount of blood, skin, fat, oil etc.

[0063] By being able to use a toxicant or pesticide that is not a delayed-action kill type allows the nest to be killed in a shorter time-frame, this should also help in preventing the insect from building a resistance to the toxicant/pesticide. A shorter time-frame also gives a greater degree of flexibility if food products are used because they should only need to remain attractive for 1-2 days. Dependent on the properties of the insecticide/toxicant this method should also help in preventing a site re-invasion of the nest while-ever the insecticide/toxicant remains active.

[0064] The attractant layer also serves as an added covering or casing that stops the insect recognising a foreign object (toxicant/protective layer) within its food source. This is important if plastic or similar is used as the material for the protective layer that contains toxicant. Plastic has distinct properties that are useful when used for the protective layer. It is light and it will not adhere to the toxicant therefore allowing it to spill effectively. It can be scented. It also has memory in that if it is formed into a shape, that is, a sphere or ball, it will retain that shape when cut or compressed. It will also roll or move with little contact and the plastic gives the ball a buoyancy-type characteristic, it will roll or fling-spilling the toxicant, especially when a dust or powder is used. It is also a foreign object and wasps will remove it from the nest, this should also aid in allowing the toxicant to spill or empty from the ball.

[0065] In a period of ten seasons of placing attractants for wasps to take, when both a meat and sugar combination was used, more wasps came for the combined attractants than single attractants. It was observed that no bees, even when bee levels were high, landed on the container holding the combined attractant, or the attractant itself. On odd occasions one would fly around the area but left quickly.

[0066] In areas that are frequented by wasps and a teaspoon of combined attractant mix was laid, wasps found the attractant on average between 10-20 minutes. The attractant was a mix of food materials that included meats and sugar (a gelatine and water mix infused with meat and sugar odours) and was moist and lasted well in sunny conditions 33 C. In 2008, when attractant was placed, 60-100 wasps at one time were taking attractant and 21 nests were located in the area. More attractant can be placed, but it was found that a teaspoon equivalent is enough to ensure wasps will locate a food source. When using balls enough should be placed to equal this. It is also possible to make placebo type balls that are mixed with the toxic ones to allow foraging patterns. When bait balls were introduced with the attractant there was a variety of reactions from the wasps. Some wasps took the balls immediately, leaving the solid attraction mix that they needed to cut and carry. Some ignored the balls at first and took from the exact place on attractant as a previous visit. Some dive-bombed the ball forgoing completely an extended rolling underneath action. It was unsure whether this was because they had already taken some. Wasps were marked with different colours for ease of identification. This helped to realise that wasps from different nests and directions were locating and taking the same bait. It also helped in timing returns, some averaged returns 2 to 2.5 minutes and some averaged 5-7 minutes.

[0067] In 2009 attractant mix with bait balls were placed over 3 days, the balls were filled with household insecticide dust, no more wasps came for the bait or were seen in the following days/weeks. In 2010 attractant was placed to which 5 of similar bait balls were added. Bait balls continued to be placed once the attractant was taken. A total of 22 bait balls were taken and 3 nests were eradicated in one day.

[0068] In the area the balls were tested the bait was never touched by birds, other insects, except odd flies and ants, but whether this was because the bait was always sourced quickly by the wasps and they acted as a deterrent, or because only a small amount of bait was used is unknown.

[0069] Bait can be placed on a heavy enough container or dish in an area that is frequented by wasps, preferably an open area, above ground level and away from pets and children. Post high is good. Ants are a deterrent to wasps and also attracted to the bait so the bottom or top of post needs to be dusted with an insecticide or a physical barrier used to discourage.

[0070] One suitable method is to use a plastic soft-drink bottle, cut so it can form a dish at its base, and the top part cut to provide an overhang to protect the bait from rain and direct sun. It can have drain holes in the bottom to allow water to drain. It can then be hung by wire for stability and placed in the ideal spot, out of the wind and weather, for example, carport/verandah, under a tree, or fixed to a post.

[0071] It should be noted that all of the invention or any component or combinations of components of the invention may be formed from or of any wood, paper, metal, synthetic or other material/s, including polymers, which may provide all or any part of the invention with essential or desired properties such as degrees of lightness, rigidity, flexibility, transparency, or otherwise, as required and or desired.

[0072] The invention may also be said broadly to consist in or of parts, elements and features as illustrated and or referred to in the description of the invention, individually or collectively, in any or all combinations of their parts or a plurality of said parts, elements or features, and where specific integers are mentioned which have known equivalents in the art to which the invention relates, such known equivalents are deemed to be incorporated as if individually set forth.

[0073] Although preferred embodiments may have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions, and/or alterations may be made herein by those of ordinary skills in the relevant art/s without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention.