ES1246519U - SUBSTANCE DISPENSING DEVICE FOR MOSQUITOES CONTROL (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding) - Google Patents

Abstract

Substance dispenser device (1) for mosquito control, intended to be placed on a surface (6) in constant or sporadic contact with water, characterized in that it comprises: - a layer (or multilayer) of hydrophilic material (2) with a substance (5) that is released in contact with water, - an adhesive (4), arranged on one side of the layer of hydrophilic material (2), intended to adhere the layer (or multilayer) of hydrophilic material (2) to the surface (6) in contact with water, and - a protective (or multilayer) layer (3) attached to the layer (or multilayer) of hydrophilic material (2) arranged opposite to the adhesive (4). (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding)

Description

D E S C R I P C I Ó N

SUBSTANCE DISPENSING DEVICE FOR THE CONTROL OF

MOSQUITOES

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The object of the invention is a substance dispensing device for the control of mosquitoes, preferably tiger mosquitoes, which can adhere to surfaces exposed to contact with water, so that it gradually releases an insecticide (for example, a larvicide-type regulator of growth of insects) and / or a mosquito attractant, thus eliminating the mosquito in its egg-larva phase, promoting that the system is attractive to the insect, also preventing the device from being lost or ingested by children or animals.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The tiger mosquito ( Aedes albopictus) is a species of diphtheria nematócero belonging to the family Culicidae. It is characterized by its black coloration with white ornamentation on the thorax and abdomen, legs with black and white bands and a central longitudinal white line on the thorax and head. It is between 5 and 10 millimeters long.

Like other species of mosquitoes, the female has a thin and elongated tube, the proboscis, which she uses to bite and extract blood from vertebrates, mammalian species and birds, which she uses for the development of eggs as proteins.

The tiger mosquito uses small filaments (whiskers) on the sides of the proboscis to detect carbon dioxide from the animals (including humans) it is stalking. In its bites it uses an anticoagulant substance to extract and store the blood of its host. Males, like that of other species, feed on nectar.

The larvae of this spice develop in containers where small amounts of water exist, especially if they are found in shady places, such as jugs, buckets, vases, pot dishes and other objects containing water, in gardens, patios and open fields. Its original larval hatchery consists of hollows filled with water in trees. In our environment it is a mainly urban mosquito that systematically takes advantage of points with water of human origin for its reproduction.

Its bite, even through thin clothing such as socks, is very annoying, occurring in the daytime hours when a part of the native species does not usually bite.

Mosquitoes are insects with a holometabol development that undergo a complete metamorphosis to complete the cycle. This cycle consists of four phases: egg, larva, pupa and adult, the first three being aquatic and the last one of aerial life.

Females look for areas with standing water, but do not lay their eggs on the water, but a few centimeters above the surface of the water, on the inside of the container. The eggs will remain dormant until water covers them, at which point their development will kick in and the larva will emerge. The larvae pass through four larval stages, after which the pupa will form. With the adult's emergence the cycle ends.

After 48 hours the females can begin to itch. Throughout her life, a female can take up to 40 blood samples. After a week, the female will deposit between 80-200 eggs and the cycle will begin again.

In endemic areas, the tiger mosquito is a vector in the transmission of diseases such as dengue in Central and South America, and the Pacific area, yellow fever and, although much less frequently than the very common Culex pipiens, it can be a vector of West Nile virus transmission.

In the summer of 2007 there was an outbreak of Chikungunya epidemic arthritis in Ravenna (Italy), caused by the CHIKV virus, and which was spread by the bite of the tiger mosquito. Until then, this disease had only affected tropical countries, which set off alarm bells due to the globalization of this type of infection.

In the summer of 2010, tiger mosquitoes infected with the West Nile virus were detected in northern Greece, causing the death of some people who were victims of bites.

In 2014, an epidemic of chikungunya epidemic arthritis was unleashed, which left several fatalities in America, due to the bite of this mosquito. The countries most affected by this virus were the Dominican Republic and Venezuela.

In the countries where it has spread, as the private environment is a fundamental focus for the proliferation of the tiger mosquito, the Administration's action is not effective, in addition to being difficult and very expensive, forcing the action of individuals with a view to eradication of this pest.

Therefore, it is necessary to develop a device that allows individuals to fight this type of pest in a simple and effective way, and without posing a risk to human health.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention aims to answer the problems raised in the previous section. The mosquito control substance dispensing device is preferably focused on the control of the tiger mosquito, but is perfectly applicable to the control of any other type of mosquito, or even other insects.

The device, which is intended to adhere to a surface in constant, periodic or sporadic contact with water, such as a pot plate or a bucket, is used to control the mosquito in its egg-larva phase.

The device, which contains a substance, preferably an insecticide, is based on a limited access of the surrounding water to the device, both due to a physical limitation (contact surface between water and insecticide), and due to the diffusion of the substance through the water. which soaks the device and reaches the external environment (for example, the pot plate).

The substance, or more preferably the Insect Grnwth Regulator (IGR ) insecticide is deposited in a hydrophilic layer, of a material that can be natural or synthetic. The substance can also be encapsulated, so that its release from the hydrophilic layer is slowed down over time, increasing the duration of the effects of the device. Furthermore, the hydrophilic layer can be a membrane, to facilitate the release of the insecticide and the breathability of the device as a whole.

An adhesive can be deposited on one side of the hydrophilic layer, intended to stick the layer to the surface to which it is desired to fix, such as a flower pot. In this embodiment, the adhesive can be partially permeable (either due to the nature of the adhesive or due to its application in a discreet and not totally covering manner), so that a release of the substance can also occur from the contact face between the layers. hydrophilic and adhesive.

Alternatively, the device may comprise a totally or partially waterproof layer (or multilayer), on which the adhesive is placed, which is responsible for fixing the device to the desired surface. In this case, being the waterproof layer, there is no release of insecticide by the contact surface between both layers. Alternatively, the layer (or multilayer) on which the adhesive is placed may be a membrane.

Additionally, the device comprises a protective layer, located in contact with the hydrophilic layer, on the side opposite to that which is in contact with the adhesive layer or the totally or partially waterproof layer (or multilayer). This protective layer serves as a barrier against water, ensuring that when the device comes into contact with it, there is no rapid release of the substance, but rather it happens little by little.

The protective layer may be of a waterproof material. In this case, the release of the substance occurs through the lateral surface of the hydrophilic layer, which is the only one that is in direct contact with water.

Alternatively, the protective layer may be made of a water-soluble material, so that the substance is released both by the lateral surface of the hydrophilic layer and by the contact face between the protective layer and the hydrophilic layer, in this latter case the substance is released in accordance the protective layer is dissolving.

In another alternative embodiment, the possible protective layers and the hydrophilic layer are a partially or totally waterproof membrane. In the case of the totally waterproof membrane, the substance is released from the side of the hydrophilic layer, preventing the entry of water by the protective layer, but allowing the transpiration of the earth, substrate, etc., when the device is used as a cover for the support on which the vegetation layer can grow or simply to cover a floodable area (as a geotextile mesh or similar). In the case of a partially permeable membrane, it would also serve to dispense the substance in a controlled way.

The access of the surrounding water to the substance is therefore by capillarity between layers or by the hydrophilic material itself, by the solubility of the materials that make up the device, by the action of membranes, by absorption (wick effect), etc. The goal of all of the above embodiments is to achieve a slower release of the substance, prolonging the life of the device.

As the device has an adhesive or a totally or partially waterproof layer with adhesive on one of its sides, it can be anchored to a support (for example, flowerpot, pot plate, etc.), thus reducing the risk of a child or companion animal can take it, move it from its location, or even ingest it.

The device can be designed in different shapes and sizes to be able to adapt it to different supports, and it can also be manipulated by the user (cutting it to obtain the most suitable shape for the place where it is going to be used) without reducing its effectiveness.

Although the main function of the device is to be a dispenser of a substance for mosquito control, preferably an insecticide such as Bti, Methoprene or Diflubenzuron, among others, the substance may also consist of products such as mosquito-attracting agents, pheromones, etc., that can be included alone or together with the insecticide in the device, and that would increase the action capacity and effectiveness of the device.

The device provides a solution on the market that can be used by users at a private level and in domestic environments, beyond the legal restrictions regarding the handling of chemical products or legislation applicable to professional treatments with this type of substance.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To complement the description that is being made and in order to help a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention, according to an example preferred practical implementation thereof, is accompanied as an integral part of said description, a set of drawings in which, by way of illustration and not limitation, the following has been represented:

Figure 1.- Shows a schematic view of the different layers of the substance dispensing device for mosquito control.

Figure 2.- Shows a view of the device attached to a pot, in partial contact with the water contained in the pot plate.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

A preferred embodiment of the substance dispensing device (1) for mosquito control is described below with the help of Figures 1 and 2.

The device is intended to be able to adhere to a surface in constant, periodic or sporadic contact with water, as shown in Figure 2, which represents the device placed on the surface (6) of a pot, in contact with water contained in a plate (7) that serves to retain excess water from irrigation. In this case, the device comes into contact with water periodically, every time the pot is watered.

Specifically, and as shown in Figure 1, the device comprises a first layer, called the hydrophilic layer (2), in which an insecticide (5) is used to regulate insect growth (IGR). This insecticide (5) is released when the hydrophilic layer (2) comes into contact with water, eliminating mosquitoes that are in the egg-larva phase. Alternatively, or accompanying the insecticide (5), a mosquito-attracting substance can be deposited in the hydrophilic layer (2).

In contact with a first face of the hydrophilic layer (2) a totally or partially waterproof layer (or multilayer) is placed with an adhesive (4) or simply an adhesive (4), which is responsible for fixing the hydrophilic layer (2 ) to the surface (6) of a support, such as a pot, in the case of figure 2.

In contact with the hydrophilic (or multilayer) layer (2), but on the side opposite to that which is in contact with the adhesive layer (4), the device comprises a protective layer (3). This serves as a barrier against water, achieving that, when the device enters contact with it, there is not a quick release of the insecticide (5), but it happens little by little.

In a first embodiment of the invention, the protective layer (3) can be of an impermeable material. In this case, the release of the insecticide (5) occurs through the lateral surface (21) of the hydrophilic layer (2), which is the only one that is in direct contact with water, as indicated by arrows on the Figure 1.

In a second embodiment, the protective layer (or multilayer) (3) can be made of a water-soluble material, so that the insecticide (5) is released both by the lateral surface (21) of the hydrophilic layer (2), and by the face in contact between both layers, in the latter case releasing the insecticide (5) as the protective layer (3) dissolves.

In a third embodiment of the invention, the protective layer (or multilayer) (3) and the adhesive layer (4) can be a membrane that is totally or partially permeable to water. In the case of a totally waterproof membrane, the insecticide (5) is released by the lateral surface (21) of the hydrophilic layer (2), preventing the entry of water by the protective layer (3). This embodiment is very useful when the device is arranged covering the soil of the pot or larger surfaces, as is the case of planters, for example, since it allows transpiration of the plant. In the case of use of partially permeable membranes, the release of the insecticide would be allowed by the protective layer (3) and the adhesive layer (4).

Although the main function of the device is to be an insecticide dispenser (5), such as Bti, Methoprene or Diflubenzuron, among others, other products, such as mosquito attracting agents, pheromones, can also be incorporated into the hydrophilic layer (2). , etc., which would increase the device's capacity for action and effectiveness.

Claims (16)

1. - Substance dispenser device (1) for mosquito control, intended to be placed on a surface (6) in constant or sporadic contact with water, characterized in that it comprises: - a layer (or multilayer) of hydrophilic material (2) with a substance (5) that is released in contact with water, - an adhesive (4), arranged on one side of the layer of hydrophilic material (2), intended to adhere the layer (or multilayer) of hydrophilic material (2) to the surface (6) in contact with water, and - a protective (or multilayer) layer (3) attached to the layer (or multilayer) of hydrophilic material (2) arranged opposite to the adhesive (4). 2. - The device of claim 1, wherein the substance (5) that is released in contact with water is an insecticide, preferably with a larvicidal effect. 3. - The device of claim 1, wherein the substance (5) that is released in contact with water is a mosquito attractant. 4. - The device of claim 1, further comprising an impermeable layer in contact with the layer of hydrophilic material (2) and on which the adhesive (4) is provided. 5. - The device of claim 1, wherein the substance (5) is encapsulated in the layer of hydrophilic material (2). 6. - The device of claim 1, wherein the protective layer (3) is of a water soluble material. 7. - The device of claim 1, wherein the protective layer (3) is made of a waterproof material. 8. - The device of claim 1, wherein the protective layer (3) is a membrane. 9. - The device of claim 1, wherein the layer of hydrophilic material (2) is a membrane. 10.

- The device of claim 1, wherein the substance (5) is an insect growth regulator (IGR). 11. - The device of claim 1, wherein the substance (5) is an insect growth regulator (IGR) selected from Bti, Methoprene and Diflubenzuron. 12. The device of claim 2, wherein the hydrophilic material layer (2) further comprises an insect attracting agent. 13. - The device of claim 2, wherein the layer of hydrophilic material (2) additionally comprises pheromones. 14. - The device of claim 1, wherein the adhesive (4) is permeable to water. 15. - The device of claim 1, wherein the adhesive (4) is impermeable to water. 16. - The device of claim 4, wherein the layer in contact with the layer of hydrophilic material (2) and on which the adhesive (4) can be arranged is a membrane.