GB2298558A - Slug bait holder - Google Patents

Description

A PEST TRAP The present invention relates to a pest trap and particularly to a trap for garden pests such as slugs.

As is well known by gardeners everywhere, garden pests such as slugs may wreak havoc with the products of the gardener's efforts.

As a consequence at the present day, gardeners typically combat the threat from garden pests such as slugs through the use of measures such as slug pellets. These pellets are attractive to slugs in terms of smell and taste, but are lethal upon ingestion. Typically, slug pellets will be scattered randomly over an affected area or concentrated in areas particularly afflicted.

The clear disadvantage with this method is that the pellets which are toxic to slugs must be scattered over an area where human foodstuffs may be grown.

There is raised a worry, therefore, that the chemicals toxic to slugs may become harmful to humans if taken up in other foodstuffs and consequently ingested. Moreover in the growing of crops organically the use of pesticides of the nature of ground scattered slug pellets is a contradiction in purpose. In a similar vein, other animals, both wild and domestic, for example pets, may be attracted to these pellets and consume them themselves, again raising the worry of their toxicity as regards each given type of animal. These problems are made commensurably worse when pellets are concentrated in a given area.

A further disadvantage is that the pellets themselves are exposed directly to the ambient environmental conditions such that, for example, if following a scattering of such pellets, a heavy rainfall occurs, the pellets may be dissolved without taking any action against the intended recipients.

Accordingly it is an object of this invention to provide a pest trap that will allow the intended pests to ingest the lethal bait without any of the prior art disadvantages, that is to say the lethal bait will not be subject to ingestion by any other life form and will be shielded from the ambient environmental conditions such that haphazard degradation of the lethal bait will not occur.

According to the invention there is provided a pest trap comprising a base tray for containing lethal pest bait provided with one or more apertures in its side walls and a lid engaging with the rim of the base tray in overlapping relationship such that the lid extends downwardly and radially outward therefrom so as to occlude or partially to occlude the or each of the apertures thereby substantially shielding said apertures from ambient environmental conditions whilst allowing pests attracted to the bait entry to the base tray for consumption of the lethal bait.

A pest trap according to the invention is, therefore, possessed of a number of advantages in comparison with the prior art. The lethal pest bait, rather than being scattered across a given area of land, is now contained within a base tray, which is to say a confined area, with the lid engaging therewith ensuring that the lethal pest bait will not come into contact with any unintended recipients.

This concentration of the bait will, of course, have the effect of intensifying the attractive aroma thereof. The apertures provided in the side walls will allow pests attracted to the lethal bait to enter the pest trap therethrough whereupon following ingestion of the lethal bait, they will expire therein. Consequently the lethal pest bait even when ingested will remain within the base tray.

Furthermore the downwardly and radially outward extending lid partially occluding the one or more apertures ensures that the lethal pest bait within the pest trap is substantially shielded from ambient environmental conditions, for example light, thereby providing a dark and attractive space to pests such as slugs, or rain, thus prolonging the efficacious lifetime of the lethal pest bait.

Yet a further advantage of this protective lid is that any aroma from the lethal pest bait may well become concentrated in the space enclosed by the lid in front of the one or more apertures thus increasing the possibility of attracting the pests thereto.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which; Fig 1 is a top view of the base tray of a pest trap according to the invention; Fig 2 is a side view of the base tray of Fig 1; Fig 3 is a top view of the lid for the pest trap base tray of Figs 1 and 2; Fig 4 is a side view ofthe lid ofFig 3; Fig 5 is a top view of a bait container for the pest trap according to the invention; Fig 6 is a side view of the bait container of Fig 5; and Fig 7 is a cross-sectional view of the pest trap according to the invention, in assembly.

Figs 1 and 2 depict a circular base tray 1 for the pest trap according to the invention. The walls 2 of the base tray 1 are provided with four circular apertures 3, 3', 3", 3"' equidistantly spaced around the perimeter of the base tray walls 2. The respective apertures 3, 3', 3", 3"' are provided in the walls spaced upwardly a short distance from the base thereof.

Two pairs of outwardly facing rails 4, 4', 4", 4"' are provided, each extending a short way around upper portions of the walls 2 of the base tray 1 on opposite sides thereof to form a guide slot at each respective site.

A circular rim 5 is located on the floor of the base tray 1 having a common centre of symmetry therewith forming a circular seat whose function will be discussed below.

The underside of the base tray 1 is provided with spiked legs 6 which will assist the pest trap in remaining in a fixed position on pre-levelled ground and will lessen the chance of, for example, it being knocked over by animals.

Figs 3 and 4 depict the lid 7 of the pest trap and Fig 7 shows the lid 7 in assembly with the base tray of Fig 1.

The upper portion of the lid 7 is provided in the form of a truncated cone section 8 extending downwardly from an uppermost platform 9. The inside surface of the lower slopes of the truncated cone section 8 will then rest upon the upper rim of the walls 2 of the base with an edge portion 8', see Fig 7, of the cone section 8 overhanging the rim of the walls 2 of the base tray 1 as the lid 7 is lowered in place, see Fig 7.

The mid portion of the lid 7 takes the form of cylindrical section 10 extending vertically downwardly from the overhanging edge portion 8' of the truncated cone section 8 so as to enclose upper portions of the walls 2 of the base tray 1 at a spacing S therefrom.

The lower section 11 of the lid 7 extends downwardly and radially outward of the mid portion 10 in the fashion of a protective skirt such as to partially occlude the apertures 3, 3', 3", 3"' provided in the walls 2 of the base tray 1 in assembly as seen in Fig 7.

Projecting stubs 12, 12' are provided on the interior upper surfaces of the mid portion 10 of the lid 7 such that when the lid 7 is placed on top of the base tray 1, a rotation of the lid 7 with respect to the base 1 may bring the projecting stubs 12, 12' provided on the inside of the lid 7 into engagement with the guide rails 4, 4', 4", 4"' provided on the outside of the base 1 such that the lid 7 and base 1 may be respectively secured to one another.

A raised cruciform 13 is provided upon the uppermost section 9 of the lid 7 to allow this rotation to be effected by hand.

Figs 5 and 6 show a lethal pest bait container 14 in the form of a circular tray whose outer wall 15 has a substantially triangular cross section, that is to say, the outer surface of the container wall 15 slopes inwardly, whereas the inner surface of the container wall 15 is substantially vertical.

The lethal pest bait container 14 is seated in use within the circular rim 5 provided for this purpose on the floor of the base tray 1.

Of course the lethal pest bait container 14 is of assistance in filling and emptying the pest trap but may be dispensed with where it is considered sufficient to scatter the bait directly onto the base tray 1 itself.

Fig 7 shows the respective elements of the preceding Figures in assembly to provide an operational pest trap T.

The lethal pest bait container 14 is shown seated in the circular rim 5 wherein the lethal pest bait, for example taking the form of pellets (not shown), will have been placed.

The lid 7 is placed securely in position on the base tray 1 having been rotated by means of the cruciform 13 such that the cooperating stubs 12, 12' and rails 4, 4', 4", 4"' interlock.

The aroma of the pest bait will, therefore, permeate the base tray 1 and will then escape out through the apertures 3, 3', 3", 3"', then further escaping out underneath the lower skirt 11 of the lid 7.

The pests, being attracted to the pest trap by both the pest bait aroma and the darkness within, will pass underneath the lower rim of the lid 7 and will move through the apertures 3, 3', 3", 3"' where the attractive smell will be most strong, thence moving directly to the lethal pest bait container 14, climbing up the outer wall 15, thence down into the container 14 itself wherein to ingest the bait.

The pests, under the action of the lethal bait, will then subsequently die within the confines of the pest trap which will facilitate subsequent ease of disposal in contrast with prior art methods.

The pest trap as above described is intended to be made of a light weight plastics material although other materials could be employed, such as metal, but generally speaking this would be more expensive. To ensure that the pest trap is unobtrusive and blends in with its surroundings, the preferred colour is grass green.

Claims (5)

1. A pest trap comprising a base tray for containing lethal pest bait provided with one or more apertures in its side walls and a lid engaging with the rim of the base tray in overlapping relationship such that the lid extends downwardly and radially outward therefrom so as to occlude or partially to occlude the or each of the apertures thereby substantially shielding said apertures from ambient environmental conditions whilst allowing pests attracted to the bait entry to the base tray for consumption of the lethal bait.

2. A pest trap as claimed in claim 1 wherein a separate removable vessel is seated in the base tray for receiving the pest bait.

3. A pest trap as claimed in claim 2 wherein the wall cross-section of the said separate vessel is triangular to provide a vertically inclined inner wall surface.

4. A pest trap as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the lid is provided with a cruciform turning handle for engaging cooperating rails and slots formed on the inner surface of the lid and outer surface of the base tray respectively.

5. A pest trap substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.