NL2018643B1

NL2018643B1 - Centralized system for distributing olfactory triggers for ovipositioning to insect breeding enclosures

Info

Publication number: NL2018643B1
Application number: NL2018643A
Authority: NL
Inventors: Leushuis Raymond
Original assignee: Protix Bv
Priority date: 2017-04-04
Filing date: 2017-04-04
Publication date: 2018-10-11

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system for distributing an olfactory attractant that stimulates ovipositioning of insects, comprising a source for olfactory attractant, a delivery system comprising tubes, pipes or ducts, coupled to the source and ending at locations where ovipositioning is desired, for delivering a liquid or gas from the container to said locations and a driver system for moving the attractant through the delivery system from the container to said locations. The invention also relates to a method for stimulating ovipositioning of insects, comprising delivering olfactory attractant from a container to multiple ovipositioning areas via a driver system.

Description

Octrooicentrum Nederland (21) Aanvraagnummer: 2018643 © Aanvraag ingediend: 4 april 2017 © BI OCTROOI (51) Int. CL:

A01K 67/033 (2017.01)

(4^ Aanvraag ingeschreven:	© Octrooihouder(s):
11 oktober 2018	Protix B.V. te Dongen.
© Aanvraag gepubliceerd:
-	© Uitvinder(s):
	Raymond Leushuis te Dongen.
© Octrooi verleend:
11 oktober 2018
	© Gemachtigde:
© Octrooischrift uitgegeven:	ir. M.F.J.M. Ketelaars c.s. te Den Haag.
11 december 2018

© Centralized system for distributing olfactory triggers for ovipositioning to insect breeding enclosures © The present invention relates to a system for distributing an olfactory attractant that stimulates ovipositioning of insects, comprising a source for olfactory attractant, a delivery system comprising tubes, pipes or ducts, coupled to the source and ending at locations where ovipositioning is desired, for delivering a liquid or gas from the container to said locations and a driver system for moving the attractant through the delivery system from the container to said locations. The invention also relates to a method for stimulating ovipositioning of insects, comprising delivering olfactory attractant from a container to multiple ovipositioning areas via a driver system.

NL Bl 2018643

Dit octrooi is verleend ongeacht het bijgevoegde resultaat van het onderzoek naar de stand van de techniek en schriftelijke opinie. Het octrooischrift wijkt af van de oorspronkelijk ingediende stukken.

Alle ingediende stukken kunnen bij Octrooicentrum Nederland worden ingezien.

Centralized system for distributing olfactory triggers for ovipositioning to insect breeding enclosures

The present invention in general relates to the field of large scale breeding of insects which select their location for oviposition (egg laying) according to olfactory cues.

Insects are considered one of the most promising means for protein and for organic residual recovery. Numerous species proposed for applications in human food and animal feed and pet food rely on olfactory cues to select the location for oviposition. Prominent examples include the black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens), the house fly (Musca domestica), and the mealworm (Tenebrio molitor L). Methods improving the efficiency of egg collection from these species are particularly valuable for large scale production because the enormous quantity, delicacy, small size and stickiness of eggs. These challenges make it beneficial to collect them in a specific location since this simplifies collection operations and allows for efficient subsequent handlings. In the event that this location is a device designed to collect eggs, it will henceforth be referred to as an ovisite throughout this application.

The practice of using of materials (henceforth, attractants) to provide an olfactory cue for ovipositioning is known as such. Broadly, two strategies are applied to entice insects to lay eggs in specific locations.

One known approach is to provide a location with physical properties desirable to the insect species being cultivated. Egg collection interfaces with a mesh, slits or honey combs are popular because many insects seek out such places to lay eggs. Alternatively, a food source for adults or their larvae may be placed to attract gravid females to lay.

Approaches that make use of an attractant may attempt to entice ovipositioning at a location that has desirable physical properties, like those described above. One approach is to place an ovisite above a container containing the attractant within the cage. More specifically, within the breeding environment, such as a cage, a dose of attractant is placed beneath the ovisite, and the odor that it produces entices gravid females to lay eggs in the ovisite above it. When the ovisite is ready for harvest, it is removed from the breeding environment. The patent NL2011300C discloses the application of an ovisite with an attractant passing through it, but does not disclose how that attractant should be applied.

In another embodiment, the breeding environment and a rearing environment are placed adjacent to each other, with the rearing environment containing feed that emits an attractive odor. Between the breeding and rearing environments is a permeable ovisite through which the attractive odor passes, enticing insects to lay in the ovisite. The intention of such designs is that when the eggs hatch, the larvae will crawl to the rearing environment with the feed.

However, attractant delivery systems which are either placed directly in the breeding environment (cages will be considered henceforth) or directly outside it have certain disadvantages. These approaches are for instance only suitable for small scale operations with a research focus or otherwise do not intend to produce food or feed products. Dosing attractant per cage is feasible when the number of cages is limited, but in a large-scale production facility, the number of cages can be in the hundreds or thousands. This necessitates extensive dosing, cleaning and replacement of the individual attractant sources.

Additionally, the direct or near direct interaction of attractant sources with breeding insects presents risks of contamination since all attractant sources disclosed in the literature (chicken feed, fly eggs, etc) are suitable substrates for bacteria and are also attractive to other species of insects and pests.

Furthermore, many attractants described in the literature make use of fermentation to produce the desired attractive odors. By placing attractant in individual cages, the control over this fermentation process is significantly reduced. This has two negative repercussions. Firstly, the chances of a failure are increased with the number of doses since more doses can potentially fail. Secondly, doses that are failed can be difficult to identify, since monitoring many doses is effort intensive.

It is a goal of the present invention to take away the above mentioned disadvantages, or at least to provide a useful alternative to the state of the art.

The invention thereto provides a system for distributing an olfactory attractant that stimulates ovipositioning of insects, comprising a source for olfactory attractant, a delivery system comprising tubes, pipes or ducts, coupled to the source and ending at locations where ovipositioning is desired, for delivering a liquid or gas from the source to said locations and a driver system for moving the attractant through the delivery system from the source to said locations.

The invention therewith provides a system for delivering attractant to stimulate ovipositioning at a specific location that does not require applying the attractant source material separately at individual cages, nor expose the breeding insects to potential contaminants, offering as a consequence significant advantages in handling and hygiene in industrial operations.

The source may be a discrete space, such as a container, but the olfactory attractant may also be derived or retrieved from a specific room or area.

One benefit of the invention is that it removes the need to provide cage-wise dosing of attractant. This is achieved by means of a centralized attractant source serving multiple cages. In a preferred embodiment, only odor is delivered to the breeding cages, while the actual attractive material is well separated from the living flies, remaining in a source, such as a container. By reducing the number of attractant doses, it is also easier to monitor the attractant effectively.

The attractant may comprise any source of a sufficient quantity of attractant intended for distribution to two or more breeding cages. Multiple sources may be used if needed to hold the required quantity of attractant. The centralized attractant source may have systems in place to manage any fermentation or otherwise necessary process for the production of the olfactory cues for oviposition used to entice the insects to lay at a specified location.

The conveyance system may be a system of tubes, pipes or other ventilation system capable of carrying air or fluid with the olfactory attractant.

The driver system may be a pump that creates overpressure in the attractant source to push it out into the conveyance system, or a suction system that draws the attractant out of the centralized source and through the conveyance system.

Such pump may be centrally arranged, for instance coupled to a source, such as a container, but decentral solutions are conceivable too, wherein one or more pumps are arranged in the delivery system, or at ends thereof (for instance in or at the cages). The system may be configured to drive air into the container to force attractant through the tubes at a selected rate.

Besides other benefits, the invention as described above enables breed operations to achieve considerable labor savings over the state of the art systems and methods. Additionally, the growth of mold and fungus on the attractant in the cage is avoided under the present invention, resulting in increased hygiene in breeding systems.

Use of a centralized system makes it possible to rapidly identify system flaws since the restriction of attractant to a single location reduces the number of instances where a failure, for example in the attractant fermentation of the chicken feed, can occur.

The invention will now be elucidated into more detail with reference to figure 1.

- Figure 1 shows a schematic view of a preferred embodiment of a system according to the invention.

Figure 1 shows a system 1 for distributing an olfactory attractant 3 that stimulates ovipositioning of insects, comprising a source, here embodied by container 2, for olfactory attractant 3, a delivery system 4 comprising tubes 5, coupled to the container 2 and ending at locations 6, formed by desired ovipositioning areas 7 in cages 8, for delivering the olfactory attractant 3 to said areas 7. The system further comprises a driver system 9 for moving the attractant 3 through the delivery system from the container 2 to the areas 7.

The above figure shows an example only and is in no way limiting the scope of the invention, which is defined in the following claims.

Claims

Conclusions

A system for distributing an odor-attracting agent that promotes the positioning of insect laying sites, comprising:

- At least one central source, such as a container, for odor attractant, wherein the container comprises an odor attractant;

- A delivery system, comprising hoses, pipes or tubes, coupled to the container and ending in the locations where laying places are desired, for delivering a liquid or gas from the container to those locations;

- A control system for moving the attracting means via the delivery system from the container to the said locations.

A system according to claim 1, wherein the control system comprises means for pressurizing the odor-attracting agent, such as a pump coupled to the container.

A system according to claim 1, wherein the control system comprises means for providing an underpressure on the odor-attracting means, such as a suction system arranged at the locations where laying sites are desired.

A system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the delivery system has a tree structure.

System as claimed in any of the foregoing claims, wherein the delivery system is coupled to at least one cage, which cage forms or comprises a location where a breeding place is desired.

The system of claim 5, wherein the delivery system comprises a coupling adapted to be coupled to a cage.

A system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the delivery system comprises valves, in particular controllable valves.

A method for stimulating insect laying sites, comprising dispensing an odor-attracting agent from a container to a plurality of laying sites via a delivery system.

The method of claim 8, wherein the step of delivering the odor-attracting agent comprises pumping a liquid or gas through the delivery system.

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