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Submitted to: Journal of Entomological Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 10/10/2005 Publication Date: 10/9/2006 Citation: Ni, X., Holbrook Jr, C.C. 2006. Using nutrient solutions to trap the almond moth (lepidoptera:pyralidae) in a peanut shelling and storage facility. Journal of Entomological Science 41(4):285-291. Interpretive Summary: Storage product pests have caused a lot of damage worldwide. However, the efficiency of using pheromone traps for pest control in storage facilities could be improved. An experiment was conducted to assess the effectiveness of using commercially available pheromone and nutrient solutions to control one of the most important storage pests - the almond moth. The study compared the use of nutrient solutions as attractants with commercially-available synthetic pheromone traps. Although the 10% honey solution and the pheromone trap in a water bucket trapped the same number of moths, 70.5% of moths trapped by the honey solution were females. In addition, the pheromone trap in a water bucket significantly improved the moth captures when compared with the hanging pheromone trap alone. We conclude that the diluted honey solution could be used to design more effective and economical traps for almond moth control in storage facilities by reducing moth populations through trapping a high percentage of females. Technical Abstract: The almond moth, Ephestia (Cadra) cautella (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) is an important insect pest in agricultural product processing and storage facilities worldwide. The objective of this study was to evaluate various trapping strategies to control the almond moth in a peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) shelling and storage facility. The efficacy of water-based nutrient solutions as attractants was compared with commercially-available synthetic pheromone traps. Eight treatments used in the experiment were: water, 10% honey, 10% beer, and 10% sucrose solutions, pheromone trap in a water bucket, pheromone trap in an empty bucket, empty bucket, and hanging pheromone trap alone. The honey solution and pheromone trap in the water bucket trapped the most number of moths among the eight treatments. The pheromone trap in the water bucket trapped significantly more moths than the hanging pheromone trap alone. The experiment demonstrated that E. cautella adults preferred 10% honey over water, 10% Beer, or 10% sucrose solution as attractants. Although the 10% honey solution and the pheromone trap in the water bucket trapped the same number of moths, 70.5% of the moths captured by the honey solution were females. In contrast, only 21.7% of the moths captured by the pheromone trap in the water bucket were females. We suggest that the diluted (10%) honey solution could be used to design more effective and economical traps for E. cautella control in storage facilities by trapping a high percentage of females. |
