GB1592162A

GB1592162A - Pest control

Info

Publication number: GB1592162A
Application number: GB3769176A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Minister of Agriculture Fisheries and Food UK
Current assignee: Minister of Agriculture Fisheries and Food UK
Priority date: 1977-12-07
Filing date: 1977-12-07
Publication date: 1981-07-01

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO PEST CONTROL (71) I, MINISTER FOR AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD, London, do hereby declare the invention, for which I pray that a patent may be granted to me, and the method ;by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and the following statement: This invention relates to pest control means and a method of pest control for animals, more especially, although not ex clusively, for rodent pests, such as rats and mice.

Mice, as pests, may be dealt with, by trapping or poisoning. Poisoning - -can have disadvantages in that general poisons may be ingested by, and cause harm to, domestic animals; while more specific poisons can lead to the appearance of resistant strains.

Traps may be successfully used at the com mencement of an operation against an in festation, but may, after a relatively short time, be avoided by the pests.

The present invention provides a pest control means or trap which most mice-ot, with suitable adjustment to the trap, other pests will be instinctively compelled to enter; while any not so compelled are those which in any event would have a lower potential for survival of descendants.

According to the invention a pest control means for animals has ' sound transmitting means to transmit sounds characteristic-of the young of a species of -animal to lobe attracted and trapped and audible thereby s8id'characteristic sounds at least including sounds from higher audio to 80 KHz; and Spreferajbly has detaining means for detaining any animal that has entered the pest control means, Preferably the sound transmitting means includes electronic tone generating means arranged to- produce sounds characteristic of the young of a given species of animal to be trapped andlor reproducing means for reproducing a recording of sounds made by the young of the said species.The sounds transmitted may be wholly in the ultrasonic range of frequencles, more especially in the range from about 50 KHz to about 80 KHz for mice. The sounds may be transmitted continuously or may be transmitted in pulses, and may be frequency modulated.

Desirably the pest control means has killing means which can be actuated to kill any animal trapped.

The invention extends to a method of pest control by trapping animals in which an animal is attracted into a trap by trans knitting sounds characteristic of the young of that species of animal.

The invention will Ibe further described, by way of example only, with reference to the drawing filed with the Provisional Specification.

The pest control means in this embodi :ment is a trap which comprises detaining means, indicated generally- by 10, having an entrance 12, through which an animal can enter the enclosure. The entrance is provided with closure means 14 which prevent or impede any exit from the detaining means but do not substantially hinder entrance thereto. The closure means 'may be, for example, light, springy or spring loaded flaps which in the rest position are separated by a gap a little smaller'than the'likely smallest width of animal to be trapped.

The trap, further comprises sound transomitting means indicated generally'by 16, including reproducing means 18 which may have programmed electronic tone generating means, known per se, and may further in 'clude means for playing back magnetic tape.

The tone generator may be arranged to proeduce sounds which are characteristic of the young of the species to be controlled e.g. of young mice. These sounds may be wholly in the ultrasonic range. -The magnetic tape, if used, has similar sounds recorded thereon for reproduction and may conveniently be arranged as a loop, so that frequent atten 'tion to the reproducing means is not required.

A signal from the reproducing means is fed through lead 20 to a small loudspeaker 22-inside the detaining means 10. The loud speakèr ' emits corresponding sounds characteristic of the young of the 'species, and the sound transmitting means is arranged so that the emitted sounds are audible to any animal of said species, to attract it into the trap, when said animal is outside the detain ing means, and up to at least a predeter mined distance therefrom. The reproducing means can be arranged to send signals through leads such as 20A, 20B to loud speakers in other detaining means (not shown).

Sounds characteristic of the young of mice are generally in the ultrasonic range of fre quency, predominantly in the range from about 50 KHz to about 80 KHz. The ultra sonic range of sound frequencies is taken to be that above 20 KHz. The sounds trans mitted by the transmitting means 16 in this frequency range may be continuous, pulsed or frequency modulated; or may comprise all three. 'For example, part of a magnetic tape for the reproducing means may be devoted to each kind of transmission.

In order to avoid prolonged distress for a trapped animal the pest control means may be provided with killing means, indicated diagrammatically at 24. The killing means is desirably of such a nature as to kill a trapped animal rapidly and painlessly.

It may, for example, be means for dispensing poisonous or suffocating gas or aerosol, or means for administering a lethal electric shock. In a simple arrangement, the killing means 24 may be tray means for dispensing rodenticidal powder which can be picked up by a rodent's feet or coat. The powder will be effective against that animal, and may be carried back to the animal's nest, and also transferred to other animals. In these circumstances the closure means 14 may be .dispensed with.

Reference has been made to transmission of sounds characteristic of the young of a species to be trapped. Such sounds need not necessarily be wholly artifical. They may be, or include, a reproduction of a recording made of the actual sounds of the young of the species.

iMice have been mentioned in relation to this invention; but the method and pest control means can also be applied to the trapping of other species, when constituting a pest, for example rats and other rodents.

For rats the sound frequency could be as low as 20 KHz, and for some other rodent species would be in the higher audio range.

WHIAT I CLAIM IS:- 1. A pest control means having sound transmitting means to transmit sounds char acteristic of the young of at least one given species of animal and audible by such animal in the vicinity of the control means so that such animal is attracted to said control means; said characteristic sounds at least including sounds in the frequency range from higher audio to 80 KHz.

2. A control means according to claim 1 having detaining means for detaining any animal which has reached the control means.

3. A control means according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 in which the sound transmitting means includes electronic generating means to produce sounds characteristic of the young of a given species of animal.

4. 'A control means according to any one of the preceding claims in which the sound transmitting includes reproducing means for reproducing a recording of sounds made' buy the young of a given species of animal.

5. A control means according to any one of the preceding claims in which the sounds transmitted are wholly in the ultrasonic range of frequencies.

6. A control means according to claim 5 in which the ultrasonic frequency range is from about 50 KHz to about 80 KHz.

7. A control means according to any one of the preceding claims in which sounds are transmitted in pulses.

8. A control means according to any one of the preceding claims in which the transmitted sounds are frequency modulated.

9. A control means according to any one of the preceding claims having killing means whereby an animal reaching the control means may be killed.

10. A control means according to claim 9 in which the killing means is means for dispensing rodenticidal powder so as to contact said animal.

11. A control means substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawing filed with the Provisional Specification.

12. A method of pest control for animals which comprises transmitting sounds characteristic of the young of at least one given species of animal so as to be audible by such animal, whereby such animal is attracted to a predetermined location, and rendering said animal innocuous by treatment at said location; said characteristic sounds at least including- sounds in the frequency range from higher audio to 80 KHz.

13. A method according to claim 12 in which the sounds are wholly in the ultrasonic frequency range.

14. A method according to claim 12 in which the sounds are transmitted in pulses.

15. A method according to claim 12 in which the sounds are frequency modulated.

i16. A method according to claim 12 in which an animal is treated with rodenticidal powder.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. the sound transmitting means is arranged so that the emitted sounds are audible to any animal of said species, to attract it into the trap, when said animal is outside the detain ing means, and up to at least a predeter mined distance therefrom. The reproducing means can be arranged to send signals through leads such as 20A, 20B to loud speakers in other detaining means (not shown). Sounds characteristic of the young of mice are generally in the ultrasonic range of fre quency, predominantly in the range from about 50 KHz to about 80 KHz. The ultra sonic range of sound frequencies is taken to be that above 20 KHz. The sounds trans mitted by the transmitting means 16 in this frequency range may be continuous, pulsed or frequency modulated; or may comprise all three. 'For example, part of a magnetic tape for the reproducing means may be devoted to each kind of transmission. In order to avoid prolonged distress for a trapped animal the pest control means may be provided with killing means, indicated diagrammatically at 24. The killing means is desirably of such a nature as to kill a trapped animal rapidly and painlessly. It may, for example, be means for dispensing poisonous or suffocating gas or aerosol, or means for administering a lethal electric shock. In a simple arrangement, the killing means 24 may be tray means for dispensing rodenticidal powder which can be picked up by a rodent's feet or coat. The powder will be effective against that animal, and may be carried back to the animal's nest, and also transferred to other animals. In these circumstances the closure means 14 may be .dispensed with. Reference has been made to transmission of sounds characteristic of the young of a species to be trapped. Such sounds need not necessarily be wholly artifical. They may be, or include, a reproduction of a recording made of the actual sounds of the young of the species. iMice have been mentioned in relation to this invention; but the method and pest control means can also be applied to the trapping of other species, when constituting a pest, for example rats and other rodents. For rats the sound frequency could be as low as 20 KHz, and for some other rodent species would be in the higher audio range. WHIAT I CLAIM IS:-

1. A pest control means having sound transmitting means to transmit sounds char acteristic of the young of at least one given species of animal and audible by such animal in the vicinity of the control means so that such animal is attracted to said control means; said characteristic sounds at least including sounds in the frequency range from higher audio to 80 KHz.

15. A method according to claim 12 in which the sounds are frequency modulated.