The I-SPy Insect Indicator: an effective trap for the detection of insect pests in empty stores and on flat surfaces in the cereal and food trades

Abstract

Abstract A new trap, the CSL I-SPy Insect Indicator®, has been assessed for monitoring adults of the principal crawling beetle pests of stored products in empty premises and on flat surfaces in grain stores and flour mills in the UK. The new trap was compared with the Igrox Insect Monitoring Peanut-free Bait Bag, the Storgard® Flit-Trak M2 trap and the Pantry Patrol™ trap in laboratory arenas using six beetle species of important pest status or which might be difficult to trap. The Pantry Patrol trap performed least well. The I-SPy Insect Indicator containing a carob lure was as good as, or better than, the Flit-Trak M2 trap containing both food oil and pheromone lures in catching Oryzaephilus mercator (81.0% and 51.1%, respectively), Typhaea stercorea (87.4% and 31.1%), Tribolium confusum (44.6% and 37.5%) and Cryptolestes ferrugineus (45.1 and 53.8%). For the Bait Bag the catches for these species were 67.2%, 59.5%, 55.7% and 81.9% respectively. The I-SPy Insect Indicator containing a carob lure and the Flit-Trak food oil was as good as the Flit-Trak M2 trap in catching Sitophilus granarius (92.9% and 99.2%, respectively) and Rhyzopertha dominica (50.6% and 51.5%). In limited trials in premises with unknown levels of infestation, the I-SPy Insect Indicator containing the carob lure and the Flit-Trak food oil was at least as good as the Flit-Trak M2 trap in a grain store. In a flour mill, the I-SPy Insect Indicator with this combination caught more species, higher numbers of insects and was better at demonstrating the presence of infestation. The I-SPy Insect Indicator is also sturdy, reusable, easy to assemble and leaves the catch easy to identify. Importantly, it contains no food which might act as a source of re-infestation.