Patent ID: 7204054

Claim:
An activatable bait station for holding a supply of liquid insecticide, said station including a base, said base having a reservoir formed therein, a series of access surfaces in the form of exposed, inclined ramps extending from a lower portion of the base up to an upper portion of the base for accommodating access of insects into the base and to its reservoir, and to attain access to any liquid insecticide deposited therein, a container including a seal for holding sealed liquid insecticide therein arranged upwardly from the base, said container normally holding a supply of sealed liquid insecticide therein before usage, the container being connected with the base, holding structure including a series of upwardly extending supports extending upwardly from the base, for accommodating the container, a spike extending upwardly from a central portion of the reservoir toward the container, the spike for piercing a portion of the seal, at least one piercing member extending upwardly from the reservoir and being laterally offset from the central portion of the reservoir and the spike, the at least one piercing member for piercing another portion of the seal, the at least one piercing member comprising a canted spike and an arcuate segment, the canted spike having a first end at a surface of the reservoir and a second end both spaced from the surface of the reservoir and having a planar surface which is at an oblique angle relative to a longitudinal axis of the canted spike which is defined between the first and second ends thereof, the arcuate segment having a first end at the surface of the reservoir and a second end spaced from the surface of the reservoir, the arcuate segment being laterally spaced from and partially surrounding the canted spike, the arcuate segment defining a longitudinal axis between said first and second ends thereof which is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the canted spike, wherein when the container is elevated, the container retains the insecticide within the container, but that when the container is forced downwardly toward the base to a lowered position and the seal is pierced by the spike and the at least one piercing member, discharges the liquid insecticide into the base reservoir, for consumption by any proximate insects.