CA1227929A - Aerodynamic light-trap for flying insects - Google Patents
Aerodynamic light-trap for flying insectsInfo
- Publication number
- CA1227929A CA1227929A CA000492417A CA492417A CA1227929A CA 1227929 A CA1227929 A CA 1227929A CA 000492417 A CA000492417 A CA 000492417A CA 492417 A CA492417 A CA 492417A CA 1227929 A CA1227929 A CA 1227929A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- trap
- insects
- air
- insect
- light
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
- A01M—CATCHING, TRAPPING OR SCARING OF ANIMALS; APPARATUS FOR THE DESTRUCTION OF NOXIOUS ANIMALS OR NOXIOUS PLANTS
- A01M1/00—Stationary means for catching or killing insects
- A01M1/08—Attracting and catching insects by using combined illumination or colours and suction effects
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
- A01M—CATCHING, TRAPPING OR SCARING OF ANIMALS; APPARATUS FOR THE DESTRUCTION OF NOXIOUS ANIMALS OR NOXIOUS PLANTS
- A01M2200/00—Kind of animal
- A01M2200/01—Insects
- A01M2200/012—Flying insects
Landscapes
- Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Pest Control & Pesticides (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Insects & Arthropods (AREA)
- Wood Science & Technology (AREA)
- Zoology (AREA)
- Environmental Sciences (AREA)
- Catching Or Destruction (AREA)
Abstract
ABSTRACT
An insect trap which attracts flying insects by use of light radiation in the visible and adjacent spectral regions and may also use attractant substance is described.The trap makes use of a linear flow of air blown from a venturi fan which encounters an airfoil shape. The airfoil increases the velocity of the airflow producing a negative pressure and directs the air and insects attracted by the trap into a porous container. The negative pressure and high velocity airflow causes even fast flying insects to be swept into the container. The airflow through the trap is affected very little by movement of air in the environment and thus accurate quantities of volatile chemical attract ants such as pheromones can be dispensed to enhance the attraction of the trap.
An insect trap which attracts flying insects by use of light radiation in the visible and adjacent spectral regions and may also use attractant substance is described.The trap makes use of a linear flow of air blown from a venturi fan which encounters an airfoil shape. The airfoil increases the velocity of the airflow producing a negative pressure and directs the air and insects attracted by the trap into a porous container. The negative pressure and high velocity airflow causes even fast flying insects to be swept into the container. The airflow through the trap is affected very little by movement of air in the environment and thus accurate quantities of volatile chemical attract ants such as pheromones can be dispensed to enhance the attraction of the trap.
Description
SPECIFICATION ~27~29 This invention relates to insect traps and, more particularity, to traps for monitoring or controlling flying insects such as house flies.
Insect traps which use light to attract flying insects have hitherto a) pulled the insects into a container with suction, a suction trap, or b) blown them with an undirected air stream into a sticky container or pan of liquid, a blower trap.
Present trapping systems which use light to attract flying insects and utilize moving air to capture the insects are inefficient and most are ineffective for capturing fast flying insects. A further disadvantage of the known traps is that none is adapted to make use of a calibrated air flow relatively unaffected by movements of air in the environment to dispense compounds which will excite or attract flying insects. Many attract ants, in particular pheromones, must be released at critical rates.
One such trap pulls the insects into a container with suction, a suction trap. The air flow on the suction side of the fan is drawn from a hemispherical volume, or if a lid is present from a cylindrical space at some distance from the fan. The flow of air is therefore slower than the air flow on the output side, so that insects must fly close to the trap before encountering a suction sufficient to cause their capture. Fast flying insects such as bees and flies can escape from this airflow.
another such trap blows flying insects with an undirected air stream into a sticky container or pan of liquid, a blower trap. The air flow of such a trap is undirected and many insects may escape by being blown past the collecting device of a blower trap.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a trap in which air is blown over an airfoil shape, concentrating the flow into a porous container.
A further object of this invention is the provision of a trap which uses the airfoil effect to produce a negative pressure around the light to capture flying insects and force them into a stronger air flow which prevents their escape once attracted.
A still further object of this invention is the provision of a trap which makes use of a known and constant air flow through the porous container to dispense compounds which will excite or attract flying insects.
The present invention makes use of the aerodynamic principle of the airfoil to direct a volume of air blown from a venturi fan (with a rated output of 100 cubic feet or more per minute) into a device for collecting insects.
The airfoil nature of the shape of a standard incandescent light bulb causes the air from a fan mounted directly above it to travel in a directed stream, so that all of the air from the fan enters the collecting device. A transparent cover with a similar airfoil shape could be used with any other light source to create a directed stream of air. The air travels over the light bulb at a velocity of about 30 km per hour malting it impossible for fast flying insects to escape.
With this arrangement all the air flowing through the fan blows into the collecting device at a known rate and it is therefore possible to dispense accurately known amounts of an insect attrac$ant or extenuate from a suitable container within the air stream.
Prototype, experimental traps, were developed which eliminated the disadvantages of known traps. Their efficacy was evaluated in comparison to other light traps in an egg production barn with a floor area of 1,000 my and a population of about 850,000 adult flies. Traps placed in a row, 10 m apart, caught a mean of 3 95 flies per trap each day. When traps were placed near accumulations of flies on the roof, a mean of 2684 flies per trap per day were caught. Addition of muscular (Z-9 tricosene), an insect attract ant, increased catches by 23%. By comparison, the most effective commercial trap tested (Fly-Watcher, Postulate Lancaster, PA, USA) collected a maximum of 320 flies per day over a three day period, although the mean catch over 42 days was only 29 flies per day. These traps were mounted on the walls inside the barn at the same 7~329 height as the experimental traps The Postulate traps rapidly became clogged with dust in the chicken barn.
No house flies were seen to escape from the air flow when they flew within the diameter of the collecting device of the experimental trap, whereas they did escape from weaker suction traps or from the undirected air flow used in blower traps.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a trap for use in trapping flying insects, said trap utilizing light radiation in the visible and the adjacent ultraviolet and infrared spectral regions, such as that emitted by incandescent or fluorescent lamps. The insects are pulled into the air stream by the negative pressure created by the airfoil shape that completely surrounds the light source and are forced into the trap by the high speed air stream. Insects are collected in a porous container, which can also dispense accurate quantities of an extenuate or attract ant substance such as muscular (Z-9 tricosene), a pheromone for house flies.
In drawings which illustrate embodiments of the present invention, Figure 1 is a side elevation view of the insect trap of this invention, shown partly in section;
:
Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the insect trap at the level of the venturi fan;
Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the insect trap at the base of the open cylinder;
Figure 4 is a diagrammatic illustration of the directed air stream and suction created by the trap, and the disposition of the a~tractant or extenuate for increased effectiveness.
Figure 5 is a diagrammatic representation of the flight path of a flying insect being captured by the trap.
,,, ~:~ 4 ~;~27~29 --Referring now in detail to the accompanying drawings, the trap shown generally at 10 in Figure has a venturi fan 12, shown more clearly in Figure 2, with a synchronous motor which may be protected by a cover 14 fitted with a centrally disposed eyelet 16 to attach the trap to the ceiling of a building or other suitable device, and metal terminals 18 to attach an electrical cable 20.
The fan blows air over an airfoil-shaped lamp 22 which, in this embodiment, is a domestic incandescent lamp. As shown more clearly in Figure 3, the lamp 22 is screwed into a base 24 which provides the electrical power to illuminate the lamp from the terminals 18, by way of a pair of insulated wires 26. Electrical power for the venturi fan is also provided by a pair of insulated wires forming part of the same circuit. The base of the lamp 24 is attached to a crisps 28, which serves to position the lamp 22 directly beneath the venturi fan 12. The crisps 28 is attached to an open cylinder 30, which is suspended from the venturi fan 12 by two or more dependent legs 32 . The crisps 2 8 also serves to support devices such as illustrated in 34, which contain insect attract ants or extenuates. Attached to the open cylinder 30, and suspended beneath it is the porous collecting device 36. In this embodiment the device is a bag constructed from nylon mesh, but in other embodiments, different materials with mesh or holes small enough to retain the desired insects and yet allow air flow at the rated output of the fan could be used. The collecting device 36, is held around the cylinder 30, with a lace or elastic band 38, but in another embodiment it could be attached in a different manner. For example, the collecting device comprising a second cylinder, slightly larger than the first 30, and having a bayonet-type mount would allow the collecting device to be changed more readily.
The movement and direction of the air flow, which is the essence of this invention, is shown in Figure 4. The trap 10 draws incoming air 40 from around the trap. Incoming air 40 is forced by the venturi fan 12 over the lamp 22 forming a directed air stream 42. The aerodynamic shape of the lamp 22 induces a quickening of air flow within the directed air stream thus producing a negative pressure 44 as a result of the airfoil effect. The directed air 42 is blown into the collection device 36, thence exiting as in 46, and dissipating into air beneath the ~2~'7~25~
trap. A constant velocity of directed air 42, passing over the device containing insect attract ants or extenuates 34 causes the attract ants or extenuates to be carried by the air stream, in a vapor plume 48 and dissipated with exiting air 46.
Figure 5 illustrates the probable flight path of an insect 50 entering the trap. The insect 50, in this case a house fly, is approaching the trap 10 in a meandering fashion, attracted by the light radiation in the visible and adjacent spectral regions produced by the lamp 22, and by an insect attract ant contained in the release device 34. Other embodiments could eliminate the use of the release device 34 and attract ant. The insect 50 reaches the suction 44 created by the trap, shown at 52, and becomes entrapped in the flow of air. It is then carried, as in 54, to the bottom of the collection device 36. The insect 50 is held down by the exiting air I and can not escape from the trap, as in 56.
The dimensions of the trap 10 are dictated by the type of insect to be trapped and would be determined by one skilled in the art. However, it has been found that, for example, a trap for use in trapping house flies could have a diameter of six inches and a height of 12 inches, excluding the collection device 36. The collection device 36 could be of six inches diameter and 8 inches depth.
The trap is so designed that smaller beneficial insects are not injured when blown into the collecting device and in this embodiment can escape through the mesh. If such beneficial insects are not present, the collecting device could contain a non-volatile toxic bait or contact insecticide to kill trapped insects. Other embodiments could include still other devices to prevent the escape of the insect pests, such as a counterbalanced valve or valves that close when the air flow stops. In this way insects would be retained in the trap during power failures or if the trap were operated intermittently by a timing switch. It is obvious that the trap could include an outer cover to protect the fan and lamp while still allowing insects free access to the lamp and its surrounding air stream.
~,~ 6
Insect traps which use light to attract flying insects have hitherto a) pulled the insects into a container with suction, a suction trap, or b) blown them with an undirected air stream into a sticky container or pan of liquid, a blower trap.
Present trapping systems which use light to attract flying insects and utilize moving air to capture the insects are inefficient and most are ineffective for capturing fast flying insects. A further disadvantage of the known traps is that none is adapted to make use of a calibrated air flow relatively unaffected by movements of air in the environment to dispense compounds which will excite or attract flying insects. Many attract ants, in particular pheromones, must be released at critical rates.
One such trap pulls the insects into a container with suction, a suction trap. The air flow on the suction side of the fan is drawn from a hemispherical volume, or if a lid is present from a cylindrical space at some distance from the fan. The flow of air is therefore slower than the air flow on the output side, so that insects must fly close to the trap before encountering a suction sufficient to cause their capture. Fast flying insects such as bees and flies can escape from this airflow.
another such trap blows flying insects with an undirected air stream into a sticky container or pan of liquid, a blower trap. The air flow of such a trap is undirected and many insects may escape by being blown past the collecting device of a blower trap.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a trap in which air is blown over an airfoil shape, concentrating the flow into a porous container.
A further object of this invention is the provision of a trap which uses the airfoil effect to produce a negative pressure around the light to capture flying insects and force them into a stronger air flow which prevents their escape once attracted.
A still further object of this invention is the provision of a trap which makes use of a known and constant air flow through the porous container to dispense compounds which will excite or attract flying insects.
The present invention makes use of the aerodynamic principle of the airfoil to direct a volume of air blown from a venturi fan (with a rated output of 100 cubic feet or more per minute) into a device for collecting insects.
The airfoil nature of the shape of a standard incandescent light bulb causes the air from a fan mounted directly above it to travel in a directed stream, so that all of the air from the fan enters the collecting device. A transparent cover with a similar airfoil shape could be used with any other light source to create a directed stream of air. The air travels over the light bulb at a velocity of about 30 km per hour malting it impossible for fast flying insects to escape.
With this arrangement all the air flowing through the fan blows into the collecting device at a known rate and it is therefore possible to dispense accurately known amounts of an insect attrac$ant or extenuate from a suitable container within the air stream.
Prototype, experimental traps, were developed which eliminated the disadvantages of known traps. Their efficacy was evaluated in comparison to other light traps in an egg production barn with a floor area of 1,000 my and a population of about 850,000 adult flies. Traps placed in a row, 10 m apart, caught a mean of 3 95 flies per trap each day. When traps were placed near accumulations of flies on the roof, a mean of 2684 flies per trap per day were caught. Addition of muscular (Z-9 tricosene), an insect attract ant, increased catches by 23%. By comparison, the most effective commercial trap tested (Fly-Watcher, Postulate Lancaster, PA, USA) collected a maximum of 320 flies per day over a three day period, although the mean catch over 42 days was only 29 flies per day. These traps were mounted on the walls inside the barn at the same 7~329 height as the experimental traps The Postulate traps rapidly became clogged with dust in the chicken barn.
No house flies were seen to escape from the air flow when they flew within the diameter of the collecting device of the experimental trap, whereas they did escape from weaker suction traps or from the undirected air flow used in blower traps.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a trap for use in trapping flying insects, said trap utilizing light radiation in the visible and the adjacent ultraviolet and infrared spectral regions, such as that emitted by incandescent or fluorescent lamps. The insects are pulled into the air stream by the negative pressure created by the airfoil shape that completely surrounds the light source and are forced into the trap by the high speed air stream. Insects are collected in a porous container, which can also dispense accurate quantities of an extenuate or attract ant substance such as muscular (Z-9 tricosene), a pheromone for house flies.
In drawings which illustrate embodiments of the present invention, Figure 1 is a side elevation view of the insect trap of this invention, shown partly in section;
:
Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the insect trap at the level of the venturi fan;
Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the insect trap at the base of the open cylinder;
Figure 4 is a diagrammatic illustration of the directed air stream and suction created by the trap, and the disposition of the a~tractant or extenuate for increased effectiveness.
Figure 5 is a diagrammatic representation of the flight path of a flying insect being captured by the trap.
,,, ~:~ 4 ~;~27~29 --Referring now in detail to the accompanying drawings, the trap shown generally at 10 in Figure has a venturi fan 12, shown more clearly in Figure 2, with a synchronous motor which may be protected by a cover 14 fitted with a centrally disposed eyelet 16 to attach the trap to the ceiling of a building or other suitable device, and metal terminals 18 to attach an electrical cable 20.
The fan blows air over an airfoil-shaped lamp 22 which, in this embodiment, is a domestic incandescent lamp. As shown more clearly in Figure 3, the lamp 22 is screwed into a base 24 which provides the electrical power to illuminate the lamp from the terminals 18, by way of a pair of insulated wires 26. Electrical power for the venturi fan is also provided by a pair of insulated wires forming part of the same circuit. The base of the lamp 24 is attached to a crisps 28, which serves to position the lamp 22 directly beneath the venturi fan 12. The crisps 28 is attached to an open cylinder 30, which is suspended from the venturi fan 12 by two or more dependent legs 32 . The crisps 2 8 also serves to support devices such as illustrated in 34, which contain insect attract ants or extenuates. Attached to the open cylinder 30, and suspended beneath it is the porous collecting device 36. In this embodiment the device is a bag constructed from nylon mesh, but in other embodiments, different materials with mesh or holes small enough to retain the desired insects and yet allow air flow at the rated output of the fan could be used. The collecting device 36, is held around the cylinder 30, with a lace or elastic band 38, but in another embodiment it could be attached in a different manner. For example, the collecting device comprising a second cylinder, slightly larger than the first 30, and having a bayonet-type mount would allow the collecting device to be changed more readily.
The movement and direction of the air flow, which is the essence of this invention, is shown in Figure 4. The trap 10 draws incoming air 40 from around the trap. Incoming air 40 is forced by the venturi fan 12 over the lamp 22 forming a directed air stream 42. The aerodynamic shape of the lamp 22 induces a quickening of air flow within the directed air stream thus producing a negative pressure 44 as a result of the airfoil effect. The directed air 42 is blown into the collection device 36, thence exiting as in 46, and dissipating into air beneath the ~2~'7~25~
trap. A constant velocity of directed air 42, passing over the device containing insect attract ants or extenuates 34 causes the attract ants or extenuates to be carried by the air stream, in a vapor plume 48 and dissipated with exiting air 46.
Figure 5 illustrates the probable flight path of an insect 50 entering the trap. The insect 50, in this case a house fly, is approaching the trap 10 in a meandering fashion, attracted by the light radiation in the visible and adjacent spectral regions produced by the lamp 22, and by an insect attract ant contained in the release device 34. Other embodiments could eliminate the use of the release device 34 and attract ant. The insect 50 reaches the suction 44 created by the trap, shown at 52, and becomes entrapped in the flow of air. It is then carried, as in 54, to the bottom of the collection device 36. The insect 50 is held down by the exiting air I and can not escape from the trap, as in 56.
The dimensions of the trap 10 are dictated by the type of insect to be trapped and would be determined by one skilled in the art. However, it has been found that, for example, a trap for use in trapping house flies could have a diameter of six inches and a height of 12 inches, excluding the collection device 36. The collection device 36 could be of six inches diameter and 8 inches depth.
The trap is so designed that smaller beneficial insects are not injured when blown into the collecting device and in this embodiment can escape through the mesh. If such beneficial insects are not present, the collecting device could contain a non-volatile toxic bait or contact insecticide to kill trapped insects. Other embodiments could include still other devices to prevent the escape of the insect pests, such as a counterbalanced valve or valves that close when the air flow stops. In this way insects would be retained in the trap during power failures or if the trap were operated intermittently by a timing switch. It is obvious that the trap could include an outer cover to protect the fan and lamp while still allowing insects free access to the lamp and its surrounding air stream.
~,~ 6
Claims (6)
1. A trap for use in trapping flying insects, said trap using light, insect attractants or excitants and a fan which generates a negative pressure and directed air stream by virtue of an airfoil shape around the light source to attract and capture flying insects in a porous container, into which the high velocity air stream is directed.
2. A trap as in Claim 1 wherein the light used is either in the visible spectral region or the infrared or ultraviolet spectral regions and wherein the spectral output of the light is chosen to be attractive to the target insect.
3. A trap as in Claim 1 wherein the fan or the airfoil section with increased negative pressure may be of a different size and shape, as chosen to achieve an air flow which efficiently captures target insects.
4. A trap as in Claims, 1, 2, or 3 wherein the insect attractant or excitant can be a semiochemical, such as a pheromone or a volatile attractant as from a food source that can be dispersed at a known constant rate.
5. A trap as in Claims 1, 2, or 3 wherein the collecting device contains a non-volatile toxic bait or contact insecticide to kill trapped insects.
6. A trap as in Claim 2 wherein the porous container contains a non-volatile toxic bait or contact insecticide to kill trapped insects.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000492417A CA1227929A (en) | 1985-10-07 | 1985-10-07 | Aerodynamic light-trap for flying insects |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000492417A CA1227929A (en) | 1985-10-07 | 1985-10-07 | Aerodynamic light-trap for flying insects |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1227929A true CA1227929A (en) | 1987-10-13 |
Family
ID=4131558
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000492417A Expired CA1227929A (en) | 1985-10-07 | 1985-10-07 | Aerodynamic light-trap for flying insects |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1227929A (en) |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN109717166A (en) * | 2019-03-25 | 2019-05-07 | 寿县楚光照明器具有限公司 | A kind of pest-catching device of safety and environmental protection |
-
1985
- 1985-10-07 CA CA000492417A patent/CA1227929A/en not_active Expired
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN109717166A (en) * | 2019-03-25 | 2019-05-07 | 寿县楚光照明器具有限公司 | A kind of pest-catching device of safety and environmental protection |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKEX | Expiry |