Influence of probe trap type and attractants on the capture of four stored-grain Coleoptera

Abstract

We examined the effect of probe trap type and attractants on the capture of four insect species. Two commercially available pitfall probe traps were used. Treatments added to the traps consisted of a control, food bait, glycerol and either pheromone or pheromone-food bait combination if available. The insect species were Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), Sitophilus oryzae (L.), Rhyzopertha dominica (F.), and Cryptolestes ferrugineus (Stephens). There were significant differences in the numbers of insects collected by the two trap types. Also, the numbers of the different species captured were significantly different when compared across trap and treatment types. Species level analysis indicated that overall differences in numbers of the different species collected were largely the result of two species. A significant difference in capture resulting from any treatment occurred only for one of the four species. Different results might occur if feral insect populations were utilized or if trapping methods suitable for the warehouse environment were employed.