Skip to main content
ARS Home » Southeast Area » Poplarville, Mississippi » Southern Horticultural Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #342785
Title: A Role for Intercept Traps in the Ambrosia Beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) IPM Strategy at Ornamental Nurseries

Author
item Werle, Christopher
item Sampson, Blair
item Reding, Michael - Mike

Submitted to: Midsouth Entomologist
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/15/2017
Publication Date: 8/16/2017
Citation: Werle, C.T., Sampson, B.J., Reding, M.E. 2017. A Role for Intercept Traps in the Ambrosia Beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) IPM Strategy at Ornamental Nurseries. Midsouth Entomologist. Vol. 10, pp. 14-23.

Interpretive Summary: Invasive ambrosia beetles are an important pest at ornamental production nurseries. We placed rows of ethanol-baited intercept traps along the edge of the nursery to see if this would prevent beetles from flying into the nursery interior, i.e. a mass-trapping control measure. Although nearly 90% of ambrosia beetle captures were from the edge intercept traps, these traps did not significantly reduce the number of beetles getting into the nursery interior. We now plan to combine this technique with some other control measures to see if we can keep ambrosia beetles out of the nursery.

Technical Abstract: Invasive ambrosia beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) cause significant damage to ornamental nursery tree crops throughout the Eastern U. S. Depending on surrounding habitat, some nurseries can undergo large influxes of ambrosia beetles from the forest to susceptible nursery stock. Ethanol-baited intercept traps are highly effective as monitoring tools that can capture large numbers of dispersing ambrosia beetles. Beetle trap captures at varying distances within nursery interiors were determined across replicated transects that either included or lacked a row of edge intercept traps. Although nearly 90% of ambrosia beetle captures were from the edge intercept traps, there was no significant difference in nursery interior captures from replicates that were protected vs. unprotected by edge intercept traps. There may exist some benefit for integrating the intercept trap strategy with other control measures, but traps alone will not reliably protect vulnerable nursery stock.