Trapping Social Wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) in Nurseries with Acetic Acid and Isobutanol

Abstract

Abstract European hornet, Vespa crabro L., damages bark of nursery trees, and most vespid species can be a sting hazard to nursery personnel when nests are disturbed. We tested acetic acid and isobutanol lures in traps for V. crabro spring queens to determine the seasonality of vespid captures and compare the efficacy of patterns of trap placement in Tennessee nurseries. Forty traps in transects from nursery tree blocks into the forest captured 547 vespid queens during 2001 and 2002. These were 78.8% Vespula maculifrons (Buysson), 6.9% Vespula squamosa (Drury), 6.8% V. crabro, 4.8% Dolichovespula maculata (L.), 2.6% Vespula flavopilosa Jacobson, and 0.2% Vespula vidua (Saussure). Total worker and male wasp captures in these traps were 2525 and 28, respectively. Polistes spp. (n = 416) were also trapped. Peak queen trap catch was in April for V. crabro and V. maculifrons and in May for other Vespula. Numbers of worker wasps captured were greater within nursery blocks or at field-forest edges compared with ...