1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to devices used to catch pests and more particularly relates to devices that are inserted into a container in order to trap pests inside a container.
2. Description of the Related Art
Pests, such as insects, rodents, slugs, and the like, frequently inhabit greenhouses, gardens, pantries, kitchens, or almost any area designated for human use or enjoyment. To alleviate problems caused by pests, traps have been designed to capture the bothersome creatures. A common pest outdoors is the hornet or wasp. The flying, stinging insects have caused early termination of many outdoor activities and have frustrated numerous gardeners. Many traps have been specially designed to catch wasps.
FIG. 1 illustrates a typical wasp trap 100 known in the art. The trap 100 includes a base 102 with openings 104 for the wasps to enter. The trap 100 further comprises an inverted funnel 106 inside of a container 108. The container 108 is connected to the base 102 and may include a device 110 for hanging the trap 100. An attractant may be placed within the base 102 to lure wasps. One draw back to the trap 100 is, the trap 100 must be cleaned to be reused or must be completely discarded. The apparatus is also bulky and must be stored when not in use. Furthermore, this type of trap 100 is typically for home use and is not easily transportable because the trap 100 must be cleaned. Also, the trap 100 is intended to be hung and cannot rest on a flat surface because of the design of the base 102.
FIG. 2 illustrates another example of a wasp trap 200 known in the art. The trap 200 includes an entrance device 202 and a bag 204. The wasps enter through the entrance device 202 and are trapped in the bag 204. In some cases, an attractant may fill the bottom of the bag 204 to lure the wasps. Because the trap 200 has a single entrance on top of the bag 204, the number of wasps entering the trap may be limited. Unlike the wasp trap 100, the trap 200 is disposable. However, the trap 200 must be repurchased, which causes unnecessary expense and hassle. In addition, the bag 204 may not be attractive to onlookers, especially when full of wasps. Furthermore, the bag 204, lacking a solid shape, must also be hung to function as a wasp trap.
FIG. 3 is another wasp trap 300 known in the art. The wasp trap 300 comprises a base container 302 and a covering 304 with an eyelet and string to hang the trap 300. The base container 302 includes a plurality of holes 306 for wasps to enter the trap 300. The holes 306 have a tapered opening leading into the container 302. Consequently, the wasps may crawl into the holes 306 easily, but cannot exit the holes 306. In addition, the base container 302 includes smaller holes 308 to allow the aroma of an attractant to lure wasps to the trap 300. Though the trap 300 has an attractive appearance, the trap 300 must also be cleaned for reuse and is bulky to store and transport, similar to trap 100.
From the foregoing discussion, it should be apparent that a need exists for a compact, cost-effective device that effectively captures pests, and in particular, wasps. Beneficially, such a device would be reusable but not require excessive cleaning. In addition, the device may be adaptable and may be used in a variety of locations and containers.