Beneficial Insect Attraction to Light Traps with Different Wavelengths

Abstract

Abstract The efficiency of blacklight, blacklight blue, cool white light, and plant/aquarium light sources in attracting selected beneficial insects under different moon phases was tested in field experiments in central Missouri between 1 May and 31 October, 1996. Lady beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) favored the blacklight source, whereas Ophion sp. (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) were significantly more abundant in blacklight blue source. Chrysopa spp. (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) were equally attracted by cool white, blacklight, and plant/aquarium light lamps. However, damsel bugs (Hemiptera: Nabidae) and Hemerobius spp. (Neuroptera: Hemerobiidae) did not prefer a specific light. Catches of other species (moths and large beetles that mutilate light trap collections) were substantially reduced in traps with cool white and plant/aquarium lamps; thus, identification of Chrysopa spp., damsel bugs, and Hemerobius spp. was more reliable for these light sources. Therefore, the use of cool white light or plant/aquarium light to monitor these taxa is encouraged. Moon phases did not significantly affect light trap catches of the beneficial insects studied. Consequently, moon light should not be considered as an important environmental factor when monitoring these taxa.