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Submitted to: Journal of Entomological Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 8/23/2004 Publication Date: 11/28/2004 Citation: Villavaso, E.J. 2004. A non-sicky trap for tarnished plant bug (heteroptera: miridae). Journal of Entomological Science. Interpretive Summary: Tarnished plant bugs(TPB)can cause significant damage to cotton in the Midsouth and other areas of the U. S. The ability to monitor TPB populations with a simple, effective non-sticky trap coupled with a synthetic attractant might be of great value for the control of TPB populations. With such a trap/synthetic attractant combination, the relative size of TPB populations and the timing of their entry into commercial crops could be easily monitored. Numbers of bugs trapped could trigger appropriate suppressive action. Currently, a synthetic attractant is not available, and prior to this report, TPB traps required the use of a pervasive and obnoxious sticky material that hampered their widespread usage. Our paper describes a simple, non-sticky trap constructed from two 2-L plastic soft drink containers and the screened entrance cones from commercially available boll weevil traps. Lacking a synthetic attractant, we used live virgin females as bait. Our non-sticky trap was at least as effective as sticky traps and much more user friendly. Without a synthetic attractant, widespread usage of our trap is not immediately expected, but the eventual availability of such an attractant will undoubtedly spur greater demand for such a trap. Technical Abstract: A simple trap that does not required the use of sticky material to capture tarnished plant bug, Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois), is described. The 28 by 11 cm (dia) cylindrical trap was constructed by cutting and joining sections from two 2-L clear plastic soft drink bottles and gluing screened entrance cones from commercially available boll weevil (Anthonomus grandis Boheman) traps in each end. Five sticky traps designs were tested, and the design that captured the most plant bugs was compared to the non-sticky traps. More tarnished plant bugs were captured in the non-sticky traps than in the best of the five sticky traps. When virgin females plus green bean pods (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) were used as bait, the non-sticky trap captured only males, but females comprised 11% of the capture on the sticky trap. Females comprised 40% of the capture on sticky traps baited with green bean pods only. Opaque traps constructed like the clear plastic traps were inferior to the clear traps. The non-sticky trap should make testing of potential components of the pheromone of tarnished plant bug and L. hesperus Knight simpler and more palatable. The combination of a synthetic plant bug pheromone and a non-sticky trap may lead to a practical method of monitoring or estimating populations. |
