Termite lure; container; and method

#The present invention relates to a cellulose fiber lure for termites that is formed from a coherent deformable compressible mass of randomly oriented, entangled, softwood fibers; a container especially adapted to house the cellulose fiber lure; and a method for treating termites or other insects through matrix contact with a pesticide or through the ingestion or transferal of a pesticide. While the container of the present invention can be used to treat other insects with pesticides, the container of the present invention is especially well suited for housing the cellulose fiber lure of the present invention for the treatment of termites with termiticides. The cellulose fiber lure of the present invention, unlike other wood lures, which must be torn apart by the termites over an extended period of time e.g. up to two months, is especially well suited for a rapid treatment of termite colonies with a termiticide, such as a termiticide that can function through matrix contact.

#Termites do more property damage in the United States than hurricanes, earthquakes and vandalism combined. In order to control termites with a toxicant (hereinafter “termiticide”), termites must come in contact with the termiticide. Termites ingress and egress a food source through underground and above ground tunnel tubes which extend between a colony nest and the food source, e.g. a building. These tunnel tubes are climate controlled and impervious to termiticides sprayed on the soil and, for as long as the termites remain sealed within their tunnel tubes, the termites are protected from contact with the termiticides sprayed on the soil.

#For decades, one method for controlling termites has included the saturation of the soil in a zone under and surrounding a building. To get the termiticide within the termite tunnel tubes, a trench is dug around the building. This breaks the walls of the termite tunnel tubes passing through the zone. The soil from the trench is saturated with termiticide and the trench is filled with this termiticide treated soil. As the termites repair their fractured tunnel tubes, the termites come into contact with the termiticide treated soil and the termiticide is thereby introduced into the colony.

#FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a first container of the present invention for containing a lure or bait.

#FIG. 2 is a view from above of the container of FIG. 1.

#FIG. 3 is a horizontal cross section through the container of FIG. 1, taken substantially along lines 3—3 of FIG. 1.

#The preferred cellulose fiber lure of the present invention is a coherent deformable compressible mass of randomly oriented, entangled softwood fibers that is held together by the entanglement of the fibers and that can be conformed to desired shapes, such as the interior of a termite treatment station container and openings in the container to fill the container and its openings. The cellulose fiber lure lumps can be torn apart to form smaller lumps of cellulose fiber lure and, when compressed, the cellulose fiber lure of the present invention exhibits a resilience that causes the cellulose fiber lure of the present invention to at least partially recover and, preferably, substantially entirely recover its precompressed thickness when the compressive forces are released, e.g. 50% to substantially all of its precompressed thickness. The cellulose fiber lure of the present invention may be in the form of deformable compressible coherent fibrous lumps or masses of different sizes and shapes, e.g. lumps with dimensions of about ¼, ½, ¾, 1 and/or 2 inches or more. When small deformable compressible coherent fibrous lumps or masses of the cellulose fiber lure of the present invention are tamped down within a termite treatment station container or otherwise pressed together, the lumps deform and the fibers of adjacent lumps become entangled together to form larger coherent lumps of the cellulose fiber lure or to form a larger coherent mass of the cellulose fiber lure formed into a specific desired shape, e.g. the inside shape of a container.

#The preferred softwood fibers used to form the coherent deformable mass of randomly oriented, entangled softwood fibers are predominately bleached loblolly pine fibers that are elemental chlorine free. One source of such fibers can be obtained by hammer milling uncoated free sheets of market pulp such as market pulp sold by Georgia Pacific Corporation under the trade designation “Leaf River 90 Softwood” “Southern Bleached Softwood” market pulp. This market pulp is a long fiber (typically 2.47 mm in average length with a coarseness of about 0.293 mg/m) bleached southern softwood pulp that is Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF) and typically includes 90% loblolly pine and 10% longleaf and slash. This preferred cellulose fiber lure can be used free of any pesticide, as a nontoxic lure, or may be impregnated with a pesticide to form a bait and may include binder.

#Preferably, the cellulose fiber lure of the present invention is prepared from pressed sheets of digested, bleached and washed softwood fibers, e.g. loblolly pine fibers, such as the 42×45×{fraction (3/32)} inch sheets of market pulp discussed above that are sold by Georgia Pacific Corporation under the trade designation “Leaf River 90 Softwood” “Southern Bleached Softwood” market pulp. These pressed sheets are broken up, e.g. with a hammer mill, to release the softwood fibers from the sheets. The released softwood fibers are mixed with large quantities of air to form a mixture of air and softwood fibers that fluffs the released softwood fibers. The mixture of air and softwood fibers is then strained through a porous cloth or screen to form a coherent deformable compressible mass of randomly oriented entangled softwood fibers that is held together by the entanglement of the fibers.