Minimizing bee (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) bycatch in Japanese beetle traps

Authors: SIPOLSKI, STEVEN - University Of Rhode Island; DATSON, SARA - University Of Rhode Island; Reding, Michael - Mike; OLIVER, JASON - Tennessee State University; ALM, STEVEN - University Of Rhode Island

Submitted to: Environmental Entomology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/27/2019
Publication Date: 9/20/2019
Citation: Sipolski, S.J., Datson, S.W., Reding, M.E., Oliver, J.B., Alm, S.R. 2019. Minimizing bee (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) bycatch in Japanese beetle traps. Environmental Entomology. https://doi.org/10.1093/ee/nvz098.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/ee/nvz098

Interpretive Summary: Traps are used to monitor Japanese beetle for various reasons in most of the continental United States. Western states use monitoring for early detection of Japanese beetles to prevent establishment of this species in those states. Bees such as bumble bees and honey bees are often attracted to the yellow and green Japanese beetle traps baited with the standard floral+pheromone lures. The floral component of the lure contains three chemicals that may be attractive to bees. This research determined the component geraniol was most attractive to bees. The combination of lures containing geraniol and yellow topped traps were more attractive to bees than lures without geraniol or traps with green tops. Green topped traps baited with the standard lure attracted very few bees, but still captured Japanese beetles in similar numbers to the standard yellow topped traps. This research shows there are trap and lure combinations that can reduce attraction of bees and still maintain full captures of Japanese beetles.

Technical Abstract: Native and introduced bees were attracted to and captured in commercially available Japanese beetle, Popillia japonica Newman (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), traps baited with floral lure components: geraniol, eugenol, and phenethyl propionate in Rhode Island, Ohio and Tennessee. Studies in Rhode Island found that Bombus impatiens Cresson (Hymenoptera: Apidae) was significantly more attracted to geraniol alone and as a component in floral lure blends than to either eugenol or phenethyl propionate alone. Xylocopa virginica (L.) (Hymenoptera: Apidae) was more selective in being primarily attracted to traps baited with higher amounts of geraniol in 2016. Removing geraniol from the floral lure blend did not significantly reduce Japanese beetle captures in 2017 and 2018 in Rhode Island and Ohio but did significantly reduce bee captures in Rhode Island in 2017 and 2018. Green, black, brown, and red traps captured significantly fewer bees than clear or standard yellow vane and green cage traps in 2018 in Rhode Island and Tennessee. The results show that using all green traps with a lure composed of eugenol and phenethyl propionate and the Japanese beetle male sex pheromone can effectively capture Japanese beetles while minimizing bycatch of bees.