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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Wapato, Washington » Temperate Tree Fruit and Vegetable Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #418200
Research Project: Integrated Approach to Manage the Pest Complex on Temperate Tree Fruits

Location: Temperate Tree Fruit and Vegetable Research

Title: Evaluating trapping methods to increase earwig capture in temperate tree fruit crops

Author
item HANEL, ALDO - Washington State University
item NOTTINGHAM, LOUIS - Washington State University
item ORPET, ROBERT - Washington State University
item HILTON, RICHARD - Oregon State University
item NORTHFIELD, TOBIN - Washington State University
item Schmidt-Jeffris, Rebecca

Submitted to: Journal of Economic Entomology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/17/2025
Publication Date: 2/7/2025
Citation: Hanel, A., Nottingham, L., Orpet, R.J., Hilton, R., Northfield, T., Schmidt-Jeffris, R.A. 2025. Evaluating trapping methods to increase earwig capture in temperate tree fruit crops. Journal of Economic Entomology. https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toaf018.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toaf018

Interpretive Summary: Earwigs are pests in soft fruits, but a beneficial predator of pests in apples and pears. Growers and researchers use traps to monitor earwigs and in some cases, to move them from crops where they are a pest into crops where they are beneficial. USDA researchers in Wapato, WA in collaboration with Washington State University and Oregon State University researchers investigated how trap design, placement, and time left in the orchard affected the number of earwigs captured. The best-performing trap was made of rolled cardboard (30 cm long), placed on the tree trunk, and left in the orchard for multiple weeks. The addition of baits and lures did not improve earwig capture. This trap design should be used to maximize earwig capture for monitoring and for "trap-and-move" control strategies.

Technical Abstract: The European earwig, Forficula auricularia L. (sensu lato), has a dual role in temperate tree fruit crops – a pest of stone fruit and a predator of key pests in pome fruit. Some growers trap earwigs in crops where they are pests, subsequently releasing them in pome fruit as an augmentative biological control strategy. Effective earwig monitoring and trapping are critical for understanding their biological control potential in orchards. Traps made of rolled, corrugated cardboard have long been used for earwig monitoring; however, no standardized studies have investigated improvements to them. In a series of trials, we explore options to improve traps by testing different trap materials, sizes, positioning on the tree, and time in the field, in addition to the lures and baits. We found that cardboard traps had higher earwig catch than black or translucent plastic traps. There were diminishing returns in earwig capture for increased trap length, plateauing at ~30 cm. Traps placed on the main trunk captured more earwigs than traps on the base or near the end of branches. Lures and baits mostly did not increase trap efficacy, except fish sauce which inconsistently increased earwig captures. The use of plastic bottles to contain the cardboard traps greatly reduced trap catch. Finally, we found evidence that traps left in the field for longer periods of time can increase earwig capture, possibly due to the accumulation of earwig aggregation pheromone. Overall, the standard unbaited corrugated cardboard trap was the most effective and practical earwig monitoring trap.