GB2343830A

GB2343830A - Lure for insect trap

Info

Publication number: GB2343830A
Application number: GB9925049A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Shakir Mahmood Al-Zaidi
Original assignee: RUSSELL FINE CHEMICALS Ltd
Current assignee: RUSSELL FINE CHEMICALS Ltd
Priority date: 1998-10-22
Filing date: 1999-10-22
Publication date: 2000-05-24
Anticipated expiration: 2019-10-22
Also published as: DE10024736A1; GB2343830B; GB9925049D0

Abstract

An insect lure 30 comprises a pigmented polyethylene tubular container 40 closed at one end and having a tightly fitting sealing plug 42 in its other end. The sealing plug 42 is also made of polyethylene and may be pigmented. The container holds a carrier gel 44 containing a pheromone. The pheromone is slowly released from the gel and permeates through the polyethylene container into the air to attract male insects into a trap containing the lure. The carrier gel 44 may be pigmented. The pigment in the carrier 44 and container 30 help prevent photodegradation of the pheromone. Different pigments may be used to impart information.

Description

TITLE : Lures DESCRIPTION This invention concems insect lures, especially lures suitable for use in insect traps.

To attract insects considered to be pests into traps, pheromones may be used. Lures are used wherein pheromones are provided in plastics containers, which allow the pheromone to permeate into the atmosphere. The plastics containers currently used are of natural colour.

The pheromone disrupts the mating process by confusing the male insects as well as luring the insects into traps, where they can be collecte and counted.

These lures only have a limited life and need to be changed on a regular basis. However, it is not readily apparent when a lure has reached the end of its useful life. Furthermore, ultraviolet radiation can shorten that useful life by causing degradation of the pheromone.

To be effective, the lures should have a life span corresponding with a typical insect mating season, typically three months. However, if not replaced at regular intervals, lures can become ineffective due to natural dispersal and due to ultraviolet radiation degradation.

An object of the invention is to provide an insect lure that may provide a solution to the above-mentioned problems.

According to one aspect of this invention there is provided an insect lure comprising a container of synthetic material containing a pheromone in a carrier therefor, wherein the container is pigmented to provide a barrier to delay degradation of the pheromone due to ultraviolet radiation.

According to a second aspect of this invention there is provided an insect lure comprising a container of synthetic material containing a pheromone in a carrier therefor, wherein the carrier is pigmented to provide a barrier to delay degradation of the pheromone due to ultraviolet radiation.

The synthetic material used for containers for the invention should be permeable to allow release of the pheromone into the atmosphere. The container may be made of any suitable plastics material, including rigid or elastomeric materials. The preferred plastics material for containers used in the invention is polyethylene.

The container is preferably in the form of a tube having one closed end and a separate cap for sealing the other end. The cap is preferably a tight fitting plug.

The pheromone is preferably dissolve or dispersed in a carrier that permits slow, preferably controlled, release of the pheromone, whereby the life of the lure is reasonably predictable. Ideally a lure should last over a typical mating period for insects, say of about thirteen weeks, so that release of the pheromone will confuse male insects over that period of time and prevent or at least hinder mating.

It is believed that a carrier based on a gel formulation is suitable for achieving desired slow release of pheromone. A preferred gel formulation comprises an oil, which may be a mineral oil, and one or more thixotropic agents, such as modified clays.

The amount of gel used and the amount of pheromone may be chosen to suit the particular insect targeted based on the desired level of pheromone release for that insect. If release of the pheromone is too slow, it may be useful to thin down the gel to an oil-like consistency. The carrier formulation may advantageously be absorbed on an absorbent plug, such as of fibrous material.

The pigment used for the container may give the container any suitable colour, provided there is a measure of ultraviolet absorption obtained to reduce degradation of the pheromone by ultraviolet radiation. It is envisaged that the pigmentation of the containers used in the invention may be used for coding of the container. For example, the colouring of the container may be related to the particular pheromone contained therein. To simplify the choice of colours, it is also possible that a cap for the container be pigmented, so that, for example, by choosing four different colours for the container and using the same colours for the caps, sixteen different colour combinations are possible. By increasing the number of colours used naturally the number of combinations can be increased.

The use of colour combinations for identifying a pheromone lure has advantages out in the field in case packaging and labels are lost or obscured, so that reference to a single colour chart can identify the lure and enable correct selection or identification thereof.

In a further refinement of the colour coding, the cap could include a coloured plug or the like to indicate some other parameter of the pheromone lure, such as its year of production.

Colour coding of pheromone lures of the invention may be used in another way. Pheromone lures have an effective life span, typically chosen as approximately three months. However, in, for example, factories, warehouses and the like the lures are often left in insect traps in locations that are not easily accessible. The lures have to be checked to ensure that they are changed when their effective life is over but removal of a lure from a trap and inspection thereof can be overlooked or not done properly. By providing say four differently coloured lures, one colour for each quarter of the year, inspect of the lure for its colour will identify whether or not it is out of date. Thus, checking of the lure can be made easier.

When the pigment is in the carrier itself, it can serve as an identifier for the particular pheromone in the carrier. The intensity of the colour may also serve as a time period indicator to enable assessment of the age of the lure according to the shade of the pigment either relative to its original shade or relative to a chart showing shadings and corresponding time periods.

The lures of the invention may be used indoors and out of doors. They may be sited in specially designed traps, so that insects are attracted into the traps by the pheromone but cannot escape. Traps may have sticky patches or liners which trap the insects or toxicant material therein to kill them. One form of trap has a container with an entry allowing insects in but which is difficult for insects to escape from because of its shape.

This invention will now be further described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a typical insect trap; Figure 2 is an exploded view of the trap of Figure 1; and Figure 3 shows a pheromone lure according to the invention for use in the trap of Figures 1 and 2.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings, an insect trap 10 comprises a bucket base 12, having on its base surface a toxicant strip 14, and a top 16, which is attache to the bucket by bayonet fixings 18. The top 16 has funnel entry passage 20 extending through it and into the bucket when the two are connected. The funnel passage allows insects to pass into the base but because it has a narrower bottom end renders it difficult for insects to escape before the effect of the toxicant strip kills them.

The top 16 has four upstanding supports 22 on which a lid 24 is mounted.

The lid 24 has an opening 26, in which sits a cage 28 containing an insect lure 30.

The cage 28 has a cap 32. The lid 24 has locations 34 on its top for a string or wire 36 for hanging the trap from a support.

The pheromone lure 30 used in the trap is of a type according to the invention (see Figure 3) and comprises a pigmented polyethylene tubular container 40 being closed at one end and having a tightly fitting sealing plug 42 in its other end. The sealing plug 42 is also made of polyethylene and may be pigmented.

The container holds a gel 44 containing a pheromone. The pheromone is slowly released from the gel and permeates through the polyethylene container into the air. Male insects are attracted to the source of the pheromone and enter the trap, from where they cannot escape.

The container 40 may be provided in a variety of colours as may the plug 42. Then any combination of coloured container and plug may be used to provide a container with a means of identification as to, for example, the type of pheromone or the year of production. For example, the following colours could be used for the container and plug to provide a possible sixty-four combinations: white, black, grey, brown, red, yellow, green and blue. A chart may be provided to enable the correct identification of the lure from its colour combination.

It will be appreciated that the lures of the invention may be used in insect traps other than of the type illustrated as well as in other desirable situations

Claims

CLAIMS 1. An insect lure comprising a container of synthetic material containing a pheromone in a carrier therefor, wherein the container is pigmented to provide a barrier to delay degradation of the pheromone due to ultraviolet radiation.
2. An insect lure comprising a container of synthetic material containing a pheromone in a carrier therefor, wherein the carrier is pigmented to provide a barrier to delay degradation of the pheromone due to ultraviolet radiation.
3. A lure as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the synthetic material used for containers is permeable to allow release of the pheromone into the atmosphere.
4. A lure as claimed in claim 1,2 or 3, wherein the plastics material for the container is polyethylene.
5. A lure as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the container is in the form of a tube having one closed end and a separate cap for sealing the other end.
6. A lure as claimed in claim 5, wherein the cap is a tight fitting plug.
7. A lure as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the pheromone is dissolve or dispersed in a carrier that permits slow release of the pheromone, whereby the life of the lure is reasonably predictable.
8. A lure as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the carrier permits controlled release of the pheromone.
9. A lure as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the pheromone is released over a typical period of about thirteen weeks.
10. A lure as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the carrier is based on a gel formulation.
11. A lure as claimed in claim 10, wherein the gel formulation comprises an oil and one or more thixotropic agents.
12. A lure as claimed in claim 11, wherein the oil is a mineral oil.
13. A lure as claimed in daim 11 or 12, wherein the thixotropic agent is a modified clay.
14. A lure as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the carrier is on an absorbent plug.
15. A lure as claimed in claim 14, wherein the absorbent plug is of fibrous material.
16. A lure as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 15, wherein the pigment used for the container gives the container any suitable colour, provided there is a measure of ultraviolet absorption obtained to reduce degradation of the pheromone by ultraviolet radiation.
17. A lure as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 16, wherein the pigmentation of the container is used for coding of the container.
18. A lure as claimed in claim 17, wherein the colouring of the container is related to the particular pheromone contained therein.
19. A lure as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 18, wherein the or a cap for the container is pigmented.
20. A lure as claimed in claim 19, wherein the cap includes a coloured plug or the like to indicate a parameter of the pheromone lure.
21. A lure as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 20, wherein the carrier is pigmented.
22. An insect lure substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings.