Rat Valve

Abstract

Pest control comprising a commercial bin 1 having a drain hole 2, and a tube 3 secured vertically inside the bin 1 over the drain hole. The tube 3 allows rats to enter the bin by shimmying up the cent

Description

Rat valve: This invention is concerned with improving the rate of trapping rats in commercial bins (“the bin” / “the bins” / “bin” / “bins”) which are commonly used at premises such as restaurants, shopping centres, public houses, bakeries and premises of other commercial businesses. A vast amount of external rat infestations in urban settings result from rats feeding from bins. When inspecting external rat infestations around commercial property, especially food businesses, rats are almost always attracted by and feeding from the bins. These bins have a drain hole in the bottom to allow water to escape during the cleaning of them. A plastic bung is ordinarily in place on the bins to cover the drain hole. These plastic bungs are removed for the bins to be cleaned. It is apparent that these plastic bungs are often then lost or gnawed through by rats. Rats have learned to gnaw the bungs away so that they can access the bins and feed from them. Once inside, they have ample access to a food source and are out of sight of people. This will usually result in a large and thriving rat population at that site. Once a rat infestation has been identified either by the business or by a pest controller during routine inspections, the control of the infestation will be attempted using a combination of traps and poison contained in rat boxes, which are placed in the immediate area of the infestation. There are however factors that can hinder the control of infestations or put wildlife, domestic pets, vulnerable members of the public and the environment at risk by using these conventional methods. These factors include: 1. Neophobia: This is the irrational fear of new objects. Rats can suffer from neophobia in varying extremes. In some cases, if new rat boxes (containing traps or poisons) are placed at sites for reactive control, it can take weeks for the rats to start using the boxes. This will ordinarily result in the rat population increasing in the short term and leads to poisons or traps left in the environment for extended periods of time to attempt to control the infestation, which is a risk to non-target species and vulnerable members of the public. The infestation can also spread to other businesses in the area as a result of the population increase during the time of ineffective treatment. 2. Avoidance: A rat or rat population can begin to avoid equipment in boxes or even the boxes themselves. Once a rat learns that traps and poison pose a threat to them, they will avoid these and teach others to do so. This results in the control of rats externally being extremely difficult and leaves the pest controller with few control methods available to them. During the time of ineffective treatment of rat infestations due to avoidance of boxes with traps and poison in, the traps and poisons are again left in the environment for extended periods of time and puts non-target species and vulnerable members of the public at risk. The lack of a positive impact of traps and poisons on rat infestations due to avoidance also enables the rat infestation to spread to other businesses in the area due to the population increase. 3. Primary and secondary poisoning: The use of poison in any environment and for any period of time poses a risk to domestic pets, wild animals and vulnerable members of the public. To overcome the issues resulting from the factors as described in 1 to 3 above, the invention proposes the fixing of an appropriately sized tube inside the bin, over the drain hole, with the plastic bung removed from the drain hole. The rats will then enter the bin via the drain hole opening, climb up the inside of the tube and thereafter jump into the bin. Once inside the bin, the rats will be unable to exit, as the tube will be of a sufficient height to prevent the rats from climbing up or jumping into the tube. Rats cannot jump higher than 31 inches. The invention creates a one-way valve and the bin itself then becomes a live catch trap. The rats can then be humanely dispatched. There now follows a detailed description of the invention, which is to be read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a 1100 litre commercial bin with the drain hole and plastic bung circled. Figure 2 shows how the rat enters the bin through the drain hole with either a missing plastic bung, or after gnawing through the plastic bung. The arrows indicate that the rat can enter and exit the bin freely, without the invention attached to the bin. Figure 3 shows how the rat enters the bin once the invention is placed on the bin. The arrows indicate that the rat can enter the bin but can no longer exit the bin. Figure 4 shows the frontal aspect of the invention, showing the tube, securing bolts and semi- circle washers. Figure 5 shows the underneath of the drain hole with the invention in place on it. The semi- circle washers are visible on this, which assist in securing the invention to the bin with minimal restriction to the size of the drain hole. The invention comprises of a 2.5-inch-wide plastic tube which is 32 inches in length, as shown at 4 of figure 4. This tube has 2 x 3 inch M6 securing bolts attached to it as shown at 5 of figure 4, which are fixed to the tube either by nut and bolt, attaching bracket fixed with glue or other method of fixing in place. The securing bolts are spaced equally apart, opposite each other. To install the invention on the bin, the plastic bung shown at 2 of figure 1 is removed from the drain hole, also shown at 2 of figure 1, and the tube is fixed into place by putting the invention inside the bin in an upright position over the drain hole, as shown at 3 in figure 3. The securing bolts protrude through the drain hole to the underneath of the bin as shown at 5 of figure 3. The invention is then secured into place using 2 x semi-circle washers and 2 x M6 wing nuts, as shown at 6 and 7 of figure 4, which are tightened onto the securing bolts on the underneath of the bin as shown at 5 of figure 3. The semi-circle washers assist in securing the tube to the bin, with limited restriction to the size of the drain hole. If desirable, the invention can be weighted down, instead of fixing it to the bin with securing bolts. The invention therefore stands upright and allows rats to enter the bin through the drain hole by climbing up the centre of the tube as shown in figure 3. The rats can climb up the inside of the tube by pushing their backs against the tube and using their feet to shimmy up the centre of it, then jump into the bin. Cord can be added to the invention to assist juvenile rats to climb up. Once the rats have entered the bin, they are unable to exit as they cannot climb up the outside of the tube to access the drain hole and leave the bin. The material of the tube is smooth meaning they cannot grip to it. Rats are also incapable of jumping higher than 31 inches, and the invention is 32 inches in height. As the rats are incapable of exiting the bin due to the design of the invention, the bin becomes a live catch trap. Once the invention has been installed on the bin, food and water will be placed inside the bin and following best practice and all relevant legislation, regular inspections of the bin will be carried out and any rats trapped inside will be humanly dispatched. When control of the rat infestation has been achieved, the invention can be removed from the bin, with the plastic bung being placed back on the drain hole. The use of the invention, which turns the bin into a live catch trap using the rats natural feeding habits, is a new and innovative idea that is not currently used in the pest control industry. The invention combats Neophobia as the rats already use the bins as a food source and are familiar with that environment. Their determination to enter the bins will not be hindered by the addition of a tube to shimmy up to gain access, as rats regularly climb similar size tubes such as drain pipes. The invention also combats avoidance, as it does not allow the rats to learn to avoid it. The rats trust that the bin is a safe environment as they have been feeding from it for some time. Once the invention is secured to the bin, upon entry to the bin, the rats become immediately trapped and thereafter humanly dispatched, so there is no opportunity for them to avoid or educate other rats. Secondary poisoning is not a risk when using the invention as there is no requirement to use poison to clear the rat infestation. The invention will be used in accordance with all current legislation relating to live trapped animals.

Claims

1. A pest control device which controls the movement of rats when entering a commercial bin, comprising a tube placed inside a commercial bin in an upright position over the open drain hole of the bin where the bin bung covering from the drain hole has been removed, the device is secured in place by attachment means, the width of the device is sufficient to allow rats to climb up the inside to enter the bin, with the device having a cord attached to the inside hanging down to assist the rats climbing up the inside of it, with the height of the device being sufficient to prevent rats from jumping back into the device from the bin to exit and the smooth material of the outside of the device preventing rats from climbing up the outside of the device to exit the bin, rendering the rats trapped by the device which has converted the bin into a live catch trap for rats, where the rats can then be dispatched and the device can be removed from the bin after the treatment has been completed and the bin can be returned to its primary use.CM00

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