Effect of Visual Cues and a Mixture of Isothiocyanates on Trap Capture of Cabbage Seed Weevil, Ceutorhynchus assimilis

Abstract

The effect of trap design, trap color, and a mixture of isothiocyanates on the capture of Ceutorhynchus assimilis (Paykull) was studied in a series of field experiments. Unbaited yellow water traps, a yellow sticky box trap, and a yellow sticky card trap, mounted vertically, or at 45° to the vertical with the yellow card facing upwards were effective for capturing seed weevils, but a horizontal yellow sticky card trap caught few. White, green, and black traps were unattractive. During migratory periods, trap catch could be enhanced two to four times with a lure consisting of a mixture of allyl, 3-butenyl, 4-pentenyl, and 2-phenylethyl isothiocyanates, but this bait did not attract in a trap with ineffective design. The sticky card trap, mounted at 45° to the vertical and baited with the isothiocyanate mixture, may be useful for monitoring movement of C. assimilis during migratory periods. However, during the colonization phase, lures of either a mixture of isothiocyanates or of allyl isothiocyanate alone were not attractive.