GB2613190A

GB2613190A - A bait station

Info

Publication number: GB2613190A
Application number: GB2117117.8A
Authority: GB
Inventors: George Rand David
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2021-11-26
Filing date: 2021-11-26
Publication date: 2023-05-31
Also published as: GB202117117D0

Abstract

A bait station to administer a poison to target pest animals, such as rats or mice, with an enclosure that may have side walls and a roof. The enclosure has a floor with at least one aperture 31 arranged to allow a target pest animal to enter and exit the enclosed volume by tunnelling from beneath the bait station. There may be a plurality of apertures 31, 32, 33 to provide an entrance and exit. The enclosure may have legs extending from the floor which may be tapered. There may be a removable part, such as a roof panel, to allow access inside the enclosure by a user. There may be a lid to keep the enclosure dry. A method of using the station is also disclosed.

Description

Intellectual Property Office Application No G132117117.8 RTM Date:1 February 2023 The following terms are registered trade marks and should be read as such wherever they occur in this document: Racumin Intellectual Property Office is an operating name of the Patent Office www.gov.uk/ipo A Bait Station

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a bait station for use in administering a poison to target pest animals such as rats, mice or the like, but is especially suited for rats. The bait station is suitable for use in both indoor and outdoor environments to reduce the risk of damage to non-pest animals.

Background to the Invention

The problems caused by rodent species living in close contact with humans to property and in particular to crops is a well-known and old problem. In addition to the specific damage caused by the animals, for example to electric cabling, the destruction of stored crops within a barn or the like can cause significant financial loss and the need to destroy the entire crop as the rodent usually contaminates the crops as well as consuming them. In addition, although rodents are themselves typically highly resistant to disease, they nevertheless function as efficient vectors of diseases. Rodents are also well-known for killing farm animals such as young chickens.

Measures usually need to be undertaken therefore to remove and/or kill rodents which are likely to cause damage. However, this is far from being a simple task for a number of reasons. First, rodents, such as Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) and house mice (Mus musculus) are often resistant to many conventional poisons and even to specifically developed rodenticides.

Second, rats can often sense particular poisons and avoid contact with them. Third, when baiting, care needs to be taken that the poison does not cause collateral damage. Collateral damage can occur for example if rains wash the poison from the trap into the surrounding environment. Moreover, any bait needs to be kept away from other species so that they do not ingest the poison.

To this end, traps are often specifically designed to trap only rodents. Normally however, this is a difficult object to achieve. Many poisons are therefore authorised for use only in indoor situations when the above risks are low.

Conventional rodenticides rely on an animal ingesting the poison and subsequently dying. In recent years, a new formulation for a rodenticide and method of administering said rodenticide has been developed, which relies on a rodent's characteristic grooming behaviour, in which a rodent cleans itself and is also cleaned by other members of its nest. The product, as exemplified by that sold under the trade name Racumin, provides the rodenticide in a foam form. The foam is sprayed around a known rat-hole, or possibly in conjunction with the use of a cage containing (non-lethal) bait. As the rodent passes by the foam, it rubs against the foam causing the foam and the rodenticide to adhere to the rodent's fur. When the rodent returns to its nest, grooming takes place leading to the ingestion of the poison contained in the foam not only by the individual itself, but also by other rats. The poison is therefore widely administered to several rats in the nest from the one dose, thus increasing its effectiveness.

Nevertheless, the problem remains that the use is limited to indoor situations, away from other animals which could accidentally come into contact with the rodent. This severely limits the application of rodenticides as their use around a farmyard, in storage barns or other open areas is restricted.

It is an object of the present invention to address some of the above problems by providing a bait station which is specifically accessible only to rodents, so that the risk to other species is reduced. Also, by increasing the number of rodents killed by administration of one dose, nests can be more efficiently eradicated and the development of immunity reduced. It is also a further object of the invention to provide a method of administration of a rodenticide to a rodent, which reduces the risk of collateral damage to other species.

Summary of the Invention

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a bait station, the bait station comprising a floor element, opposed side walls, opposed end walls to define a base portion, and a roof panel supported by the base portion to define a volume with the base portion; the floor element defining one or more apertures of sufficient size to allow an animal, such as a rodent to enter and exit therethrough, the bait station including legs extending away from the floor panel.

The bait station enables an animal such as a rodent to enter and leave the bait station and enabling a rodenticide or other poison to be positioned to contact the animal as it so enters and exits.

The floor element preferably defines a plurality of apertures to provide an animal with an entrance and an exit.

The legs are preferably tapered to facilitate the bait station to be driven into the ground so bringing the floor element into flush arrangement with the ground.

At least one of the side walls, end walls or roof panel and preferably the roof panel is removable to enable easy access to the inside of the bait station by a user, to enable cleaning or replenishment of bait or rodenticide.

A lid is optionally provided removably located over the roof panel to prevent an animal in the base station from perceiving the space above the bait station.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is a provided a method of administering a poison to a rodent, the method including the steps of securing on the ground a bait station as claimed herein and distributing a rodenticide about one or more of an entrance or exit and distributing bait within the bait station.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The invention is now described with respect to the accompanying drawings, which show by way of example only, one embodiment of a bait station. In the drawings: Figure 1 is first side perspective view of a bait station; Figure 2 is a further perspective view from the opposite side to that shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a first end-perspective view; Figure 4 is a second end-perspective view from the opposite side to that shown in Figure 1; Figure 5 is a top view of the bait station; Figure 6 is a further top view of the bait station including top grid; and Figure 7 is a view of the underside of a lid element.

Detailed Description of the Invention

The bait station as described herein is suitable to be used outdoors as well as indoors as it is so configured to render the bait and the rodenticide inaccessible except to animals such as rats and mice which exhibit a distinctive behaviour in reaching their food and also the ability to be able to dig through soil to reach the internal parts of the bait station. The bait station provides access to bait within the bait station, only by an animal tunnelling from beneath the bait station and gaining access through openings in the floor of the bait station. The risk of other wildlife and household pets being able to inadvertently access the inside of the bait station is therefore greatly reduced.

Referring initially to Figure 1, this shows the base portion, generally referenced 10, of a bait station. The base portion 10, as with the other elements is formed of a galvanised steel material, although other materials known in the art can be utilised. The base portion 10 comprises a floor element 11 (see Figure 5), two opposed side walls 12, 13 and two opposed end walls 14, 15 in a regular rectangular-cuboid arrangement. Each of the floor element 11, side walls 12, 13 and end walls 14, 15 (referred to collectively herein as 'the panels') is formed of a steel mesh panel which allows the inside of the bait station to be viewed without disturbing any animal within the bait station, and also reduces the overall weight of the bait station. The mesh size is preferably such as to prevent access by small rodents such as mice.

Each of the floor element 11, side walls 12, 13 and end walls 14, 15 therefore has an outer face and an inner face.

Forming the edges of each of the panels is an angle bracket 20a -c of length to suit the particular panel of which it is a component. The individual angle brackets 20a, 20b which form the edges for the floor element 11 and the side walls 12, 13 respectively are deployed such that the internal acute angle of the angle bracket 20 faces into the internal volume of the bait station. In this manner these angle brackets 20a, 20b support the steel mesh panels and can be welded or otherwise secured thereto. Around the top edge of the side and end walls 12 -15, the angle brackets 20c are arranged such that the surfaces 21 of each of the angle brackets 20c co-operate together to provide a rim on which a top panel 22 (see Figure 6) can rest. The top panel 22 is removable from the bait station allowing the bait and the poison to be replaced when required and for cleaning to take place. The top panel 22 is formed, like the side and end panels 12-15, of a mesh material allowing the inside of the bait station to be viewed without the risk of coming into direct contact with any animal within the bait station.

In this preferred embodiment, the lower end of each of the angle brackets 20b extends beyond the level of the floor element 11 to form a foot 23. The end of the foot 23 also, as shown conveniently tapers towards the in-use lower end. The foot 23 of the base portion 10 can be pushed into the soil on which the base station stands to increase the stability of the base portion 10 against being accidentally moved. The taper imparted to a foot 23 can assist the process of driving the foot into the soil. To aid the securing process the upper end 24 of the angle brackets 20b extends proud of the top edge 25 of the angle brackets 20c. This allows a tool to be used to impact an angle bracket 20b to drive the foot 23 into the soil.

Referring particularly to Figure 5, the floor element 11 can be seen to have a plurality of openings 31 -33 defined by the mesh, square in shape, although other shapes can be chosen by the user. Once the feet 23 have been driven into the soil on which the base portion 10 rests, the floor element 11 is ideally flush with the ground. The openings 31 -33 allow a tunnelling animal such as a rodent to tunnel beneath the bait station and gain access into the bait station through an opening 31-33. The provision of multiple openings allows a rodent to form multiple tunnels allowing the rodent entrance and exit from the bait station, which provides the rodent with security and encourages use of the bait station.

The edge of the opening 31 can be seen to be surrounded by an optional edging strip 34. The edging strip 34 provides a surface on which a rodenticide such as that described above can be sprayed. As the rodent therefore enters through the opening 31 the rodenticide transfers onto the animal's fur. When the rodent returns to its nest the rodent, along with other members of the nest ingests the rodenticide during the grooming process.

To provide a rodent with a sense of security, that the bait station is a safe place for it to be and to feed, a lid 40 is provided (see Figure 7). The lid 40 rests on the top panel 22 and shields the bait and the rodenticide from rain, thereby keeping them dry. The lid 40 can therefore include an overhang 41 to improve protection against rain. To assist a user in moving the lid 40, a handle (not illustrated) is provided on the outer surface of the lid 40.

In use therefore, the user positions the base portion 10 on or close to the known run of a rodent and on a flat surface. The base portion is driven into the surface so that the floor panel 11 is flush with the surface. A bait is inserted into the base portion 10, optionally being provided on a stand placed within the base portion or on another surface of choice. A rodenticide is then placed around the edge of one or more of any apertures formed in the floor panel 11. The top panel 22 is then placed in position and the lid 40 placed thereon. The bait station can then be left and periodically inspected. To check whether any bait or rodenticide needs to be replaced and whether an animal is visiting the bait station.

The bait station of this embodiment also includes an optional embodiment in the form of side panels 50, 51 secured to a side wall and an end wall respectively.

Claims

Claims 1. A bait station comprising: an enclosure defining an enclosed volume for containing bait for attracting tunnelling animals such as rodents; the enclosure having a floor including at least one aperture arranged to allow a tunnelling animal to enter and exit the enclosed volume by tunnelling from beneath the bait station.
2. The bait station of claim 1, wherein each aperture is configured for receiving poison around an edge of the aperture for coming into contact with, and transferring to, the tunnelling animal as the tunnelling animal passes through that aperture.
3. The bait station of claim 1 or 2, wherein the floor includes a plurality of apertures to provide the tunnelling animal with at least one entrance and at least one exit.
4. The bait station of claim 1,2, or 3, wherein the enclosure is provided with a plurality of legs extending from the floor, and wherein the legs are tapered.
5. The bait station of any preceding claim, wherein part of the enclosure is removable for allowing access to the inside of the enclosed volume by a user.
6. The bait station of claim 5, wherein the part of the enclosure that is removable is a roof panel.
7. The bait station of any preceding claim, further comprising a removable lid for shielding the enclosed volume to keep it dry.
8. The bait station of claim 1, wherein the bait station comprises: a floor element, opposed side walls, and opposed end walls arranged to define a base portion; and a roof panel supported by the base portion to define the enclosed volume with the base portion; the floor element defining each aperture to be of sufficient size to allow the tunnelling animal to enter and exit therethrough, the bait station including legs extending away from the floor panel.
9. The bait station of claim 8, wherein the roof panel is removable to enable access to the inside of the bait station by a user, to enable cleaning or replenishment of bait or poison.
10. A method of administering a poison to a tunnelling animal, comprising securing the bait station of any preceding claim on a ground surface, distributing a poison about at least one aperture, and distributing bait within the bait station.