Japanese Beetle Trap Research Articles

Exploring market-available pheromone lures and traps for monitoring Anthonomus testaceosquamosus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae).

The hibiscus bud weevil (HBW), Anthonomus testaceosquamosus Linell (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is a significant threat to tropical hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis) in Florida, USA, since its invasion in 2017. As a regulated pest in the state, early detection is crucial. Based on the success of pheromone-based monitoring programs for other weevil pests, such as the boll weevil, cranberry weevil, and pepper weevil, this study explores the potential use of these pheromone lures for early detection of HBW. To account for differences in efficacy based on trap color, height, and design, different pheromone lure sizes (4 mm, 10 mm, full-size), trap types (Yellow sticky trap, Japanese beetle trap, Boll weevil trap), and heights (0 m, 1.1 m) were also tested in this study. In laboratory assays, males and females exhibited higher attraction to full-size cranberry weevil lure discs than other lure size-type combinations. In semi-field trials, yellow sticky traps baited with cranberry weevil lures captured more weevils than Japanese beetle or boll weevil traps baited with cranberry weevil lures, while trap height did not influence HBW capture. In semi-field, 4-choice bioassays, yellow sticky traps baited with cranberry weevil lures captured more HBW compared to yellow sticky traps baited with pepper weevil, boll weevil, or unbaited traps. Further research is required to thoroughly evaluate the cranberry weevil lure's efficacy in capturing HBW. Our study suggests the potential for utilizing yellow sticky traps baited with lures for early HBW detection and highlights the importance of selecting the appropriate lure, trap type, and height for optimal efficacy.

Minimizing Bee (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) Bycatch in Japanese Beetle Traps.

Native and introduced bees were attracted to and captured in commercially available Japanese beetle, Popillia japonica Newman (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), traps baited with floral lure components: geraniol, eugenol, and phenethyl propionate [PEP] in Rhode Island, Ohio, and Tennessee. Studies in Rhode Island showed that Bombus impatiens Cresson (Hymenoptera: Apidae) was significantly more attracted to geraniol alone and as a component in floral lure blends than to either eugenol or PEP alone. Xylocopa virginica (L.) (Hymenoptera: Apidae) was more selective in being primarily attracted to traps baited with higher amounts of geraniol in 2016. Removing geraniol from the floral lure blend did not significantly reduce Japanese beetle captures in 2017 and 2018 in Rhode Island and Ohio but did significantly reduce bee captures in Rhode Island in 2017 and 2018. Green, black, brown, and red traps captured significantly fewer bees than clear or standard yellow vane and green cage traps in 2018 in Rhode Island and Tennessee; however, there were no significant differences between Japanese beetle captures in any of the colored or clear traps. Our results show that using all green traps with a lure composed of eugenol and PEP and the Japanese beetle female produced sex pheromone can effectively capture Japanese beetles while minimizing bycatch of bees.

Insects Taken at Japanese Beetle Traps Baited with Anethole-Eugenol in Southern Michigan in 1968

Insects Taken at Japanese Beetle Traps Baited with Anethole-Eugenol in Southern Michigan in 1968

Field Level Auto-inoculation of Sorghum chafer, <I>Pachnoda interrupta</I> (Olivier) (Coleoptera: Scarabaedae) with <I>Metarhizium anisopliae</I> based Microbial Bio-control Agents using Locally Affordable Traps

Sorghum chafer,<em>Pachnoda interrupta</em>, is the most serious pest of sorghum in Ethiopia destroying the entire fields at the milk stage and causing up to 100% yield loss. Current control methods entirely depend on direct spraying and baiting with insecticides which does not provide long lasting control. Efficient biological control agents such as entomopathogenic fungi that can control the pest in the breeding sites need to be developed. Traps equipped with auto-inoculation devices are important alternative methods to spread entomopathogens into insect pest populations. Field studies on fungal auto-inoculation trap development from locally available materials conducted over three feeding and two mating seasons of <em>P. interrupta</em> resulted in two efficient auto-inoculation traps (AIT1 and AIT2) baited with a five compounds blend lure which were not significantly different in catch performance with the standard Japanese beetle trap. Two selected virulent isolates of <em>Metarhizium anisopliae</em> (PPRC51 and PPRC2) were tested for field efficacy using these two designs of locally affordable auto-inoculation traps loaded with 1gm of dry conidia. Using AIT1, PPRC51 and PPRC2 induced 41% and 40% field mortality respectively, on <em>P. interrupta</em> adults under high temperature and low relative humidity conditions, while highest field viability of the two isolates five days after application was 36 % and 40 % for PPRC51 and PPRC2, respectively. Based on the catch performance, field efficacy and viability data observed, the two AIT’s are recommended for further development to be used with PPRC51 and PPRC2 for augmentation biological control in the pest’s natural habitat as a component of integrated pest management against <em>P. interrupta</em>

Field Level Auto-inoculation of Sorghum chafer, <I>Pachnoda interrupta</I> (Olivier) (Coleoptera: Scarabaedae) with <I>Metarhizium anisopliae</I> based Microbial Bio-control Agents using Locally Affordable Traps

Sorghum chafer, Pachnoda interrupta , is the most serious pest of sorghum in Ethiopia destroying the entire fields at the milk stage and causing up to 100% yield loss. Current control methods entirely depend on direct spraying and baiting with insecticides which does not provide long lasting control. Efficient biological control agents such as entomopathogenic fungi that can control the pest in the breeding sites need to be developed. Traps equipped with auto-inoculation devices are important alternative methods to spread entomopathogens into insect pest populations. Field studies on fungal auto-inoculation trap development from locally available materials conducted over three feeding and two mating seasons of P. interrupta resulted in two efficient auto-inoculation traps (AIT1 and AIT2) baited with a five compounds blend lure which were not significantly different in catch performance with the standard Japanese beetle trap. Two selected virulent isolates of Metarhizium anisopliae (PPRC51 and PPRC2) were tested for field efficacy using these two designs of locally affordable auto-inoculation traps loaded with 1gm of dry conidia. Using AIT1, PPRC51 and PPRC2 induced 41% and 40% field mortality respectively, on P. interrupta adults under high temperature and low relative humidity conditions, while highest field viability of the two isolates five days after application was 36 % and 40 % for PPRC51 and PPRC2, respectively. Based on the catch performance, field efficacy and viability data observed, the two AIT’s are recommended for further development to be used with PPRC51 and PPRC2 for augmentation biological control in the pest’s natural habitat as a component of integrated pest management against P. interrupta

Field Evaluation of Essential Oils for Reducing Attraction by the Japanese Beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)

Forty-one plant essential oils were tested under field conditions for the ability to reduce the attraction of adult Japanese beetles, Popillia japonica Newman (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), to attractant-baited or nonbaited traps. Treatments applied to a yellow and green Japanese beetle trap included a nonbaited trap, essential oil alone, a Japanese beetle commercial attractant (phenethyl proprionate:eugenol:geraniol, 3:7:3 by volume) (PEG), and an essential oil plus PEG attractant. Eight of the 41 oils reduced attractiveness of the PEG attractant to the Japanese beetle. When tested singly, wintergreen and peppermint oils were the two most effective essential oils at reducing attractiveness of the PEG attractant by 4.2x and 3.5x, respectively. Anise, bergamont mint, cedarleaf, dalmation sage, tarragon, and wormwood oils also reduced attraction of the Japanese beetle to the PEG attractant. The combination of wintergreen oil with ginger, peppermint, or ginger and citronella oils reduced attractiveness of the PEG attractant by 4.7x to 3.1x. Seventeen of the 41 essential oils also reduced attraction to the nonbaited yellow and green traps, resulting in 2.0x to 11.0x reductions in trap counts relative to nonbaited traps. Camphor, coffee, geranium, grapefruit, elemi, and citronella oils increased attractiveness of nonbaited traps by 2.1x to 7.9x when tested singly, but none were more attractive than the PEG attractant. Results from this study identified several plant essential oils that act as semiochemical disruptants against the Japanese beetle.

Behavioural and electrophysiological response of sorghum chafer Pachnoda interrupta (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) to plant compounds

Behavioural and antennal responses of the sorghum chafer Pachnoda interrupta (Olivier) were tested to the synthetic compounds, such as eugenol, methyl salicylate, methyl anthranilate, isoamyl acetate and butyl butyrate. In the field, all odour-baited traps, except isoamyl acetate applied on cotton dispensers, were significantly more attractive than blank (unbaited) traps and all compounds, except isoamyl acetate, elicited dose-dependent responses in both male and female antennae. Dispenser type (cotton wick or rubber septum), trap location (inside or outside sorghum fields) and season (mating/July or feeding/September) affected the performance of the different compounds as lures. In July, methyl salicylate applied on cotton was the most attractive lure, whereas the most attractive treatments in September were eugenol and isoamyl acetate on rubber septa. Possibly due to odour and visual competition from the sorghum plants, traps placed outside the sorghum fields caught significantly more beetles than traps placed inside the fields. The trapping efficiency of a locally produced trap was found not to be competitive with that of the commercially available Japanese beetle trap. Overall, the results suggest that trapping with semiochemicals has a potential in sorghum chafer management, either for mass trapping and/or as part of an integrated pest management programme.

Optimization of a Valine:Isoleucine Methyl Ester Pheromone Blend and Comparison of Robbins and Trécé Traps for Capture of Phyllophaga anxia (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in Rhode Island

Eight ratios of L-valine:L-isoleucine methyl esters were tested in Robbins traps for capture of Phyllophaga anxia (LeConte) adult males. The 90:10, 80:20, and 60:40 ratios of valine:isoleucine were the most effective blends for capture of beetles in Rhode Island. Females were captured in small numbers in some traps but not consistently to any particular blend. Other male Phyllophaga species captured included Phyllophaga fusca (Frölich), Phyllophaga forsteri (Burmeister), P. hirsuta (Knoch), and P. marginalis (LeConte). The number of these species collected was low, and it was not possible to determine whether they were attracted to any particular pheromone blend. Peak captures of P. anxia males occurred 31 May in 1999 and 2002 in Kingston, RI. The standard Japanese beetle trap manufactured by Trécé (Adair, OK) captured significantly more beetles than the Robbins trap. Because the Trécé trap is already marketed for Japanese beetles, a lure and trapping system can be adopted for P. anxia.

An Attractant Trap for Autodissemination of Entomopathogenic Fungi into Populations of the Japanese Beetle Popillia japonica (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)

Autodissemination may be effective against the Japanese beetle, Popillia japonica Newman, in situations where habitats of its larvae are inaccessible. Trapping systems with attractants for both male and female Japanese beetles are commercially available. We fabricated an inoculation chamber which fits between the top of a standard Trece Catch CanTM Japanese beetle Trap and its holding canister. Beetles which are attracted to the trap fall through a hole in the inoculation chamber and land on a mesh screen. A partial funnel and canister attachment from a metal Ellisco Japanese Beetle Trap was secured beneath a hole in the floor at the opposite end of the chamber. A 10-cm section in the middle of the box, between the entrance hole in the roof and the exit hole in the floor, allows space for a dish containing the inoculum to be placed into the chamber through a door in the side of the unit. The trap has been tested with Metarhizium anisopliae (Metschnikoff) Sorokin as the pathogen. Beetles emerging from the device in the field were captured and returned to the laboratory where the presence of conidia and mortality to adult beetles from the fungus were confirmed.

FACTORS AFFECTING CAPTURE OF MALE RED PINE CONE BEETLES, CONOPHTHORUS RESINOSAE HOPKINS (COLEOPTERA: SCOLYTIDAE), IN PHEROMONE TRAPS

AbstractThe monoterpenes (±)-α-pinene, (1S)-(−)-β-pinene, (R)-(+)-limonene, and myrcene did not enhance the catch of red pine cone beetle, Conophthorus resinosae, in traps baited with the female sex pheromone, (±)-trans-pityol. Traps placed in the upper half of the tree’s crown caught significantly more beetles than those hung from the tree’s trunk 2 m above ground. No significant differences in trap catches were found among standard yellow Japanese beetle trap tops and those painted red, green, blue, white, black, or yellow.

Novel Insect Trap Useful in Capturing Sap Beetles (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) and Other Flying Insects

A novel trap designed to catch sap beetles and many other insects is described. This trap is durable, being manufactured from PVC pipe and brass screen. The modular trap orients in the wind such that air flows over screened-off bait compartments and through a screen funnel entrance. Insects approach and enter from down-wind and become trapped after passing through a wire mesh funnel. They subsequently move through a connecting tube, through an additional funnel, and into a removable collector. Catches of sap beetles were superior to a commercially available Japanese beetle trap. Several thousand sap beetles (primarily Carpophilus lugubris Murray) could be captured with appropriate baits over a 1-wk period. Fungi from the trapped sap beetles included Aspergillus flavus Link:Fr. and numerous common genera with species recognized as plant pathogens, entomopathogens, saprophytes, or biocontrol agents. Other families of insects that contain pests and were captured include Cantharidae, Chrysomelidae, Elateridae, Culicidae, Drosophilidae, Muscidae, Vespidae, and Noctuidae.

Comparisons Between Blacklight and Pheromone Traps for Monitoring the Western Bean Cutworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in South Central Idaho

Blacklight traps have been used since 1958 in south central Idaho to monitor western bean cutworm, Loxagrotis albicosta (Smith), populations and to predict damage on beans and corn. In 1982, 1983, and 1984, two types of pheromone traps were compared with the standard blacklight trap. Pheromone traps were a handmade water-bucket trap and a modified Japanese beetle trap. For the overall trapping season, catches from both pheromone traps correlated well with catches from blacklight traps and with one another. In addition, total catches up to the time of peak moth flight from all three traps correlated well with percentage of damage to both bean pods and seeds. However, average daily catch per trap showed a high amount of variability and lack of association between moth counts and damage. Traps located on the west side of fields at 1.2 m above ground provided the best catches. Results of this study suggest that pheromone traps can be used to replace the standard blacklight trap, which is expensive, nonselective, bulky, and dependent upon a power source.

Japanese Beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) Traps: Evaluation of Single and Multiple Arrangements for Reducing Defoliation in Urban Landscape

We determined in an earlier study that single Japanese beetle, Popillia japonica Newman, traps, used according to manufacturers’ specifications, were ineffective for reducing defoliation of potted grape, Vitis sp., plants in urban landscape. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that single trap placements might be more effective for protecting a relatively less attractive host species, and evaluated five multiple trap arrangements (2–7 traps) for effectiveness in reducing defoliation of grape. Single traps, positioned 3.1 m upwind or 9.3 m downwind of pin oak, Quercus palustris L., trees, resulted in significantly greater defoliation than on trees without traps. None of the multiple trap arrangements reduced defoliation, and four of the five placements resulted in significantly greater damage than without traps. Use of single Japanese beetle traps or small scale multiple trap arrangements will not prevent or reduce defoliation of nearby plantings and will probably increase the damage inflicted upon both highly preferred and relatively less attractive hosts.

Efficiency of Japanese Beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) Traps in Reducing Defoliation of Plants in the Urban Landscape and Effect on Larval Density in Turf

Although attractant traps are commonly used to protect ornamental and garden plants from defoliation by Japanese beetles ( Popillia japonica Newman), neither the utility of this practice nor its effect on larval density around traps has been investigated. In experiments on a golf course and in home landscapes, single traps positioned at 3.1 or 9.3 m upwind or downwind from test plants failed to reduce defoliation compared with that which occurred on plants without traps. In fact, defoliation was nearly always greater with a trap present. Surrounding a plant with three traps, each 9.3 m away, resulted in >90% defoliation within 30 h. Japanese beetle larval densities were not significantly altered in the vicinity of traps.

Japanese Beetle (Coleoptera: Scarahaeidae) Traps: Comparison of Commercial and Homemade Traps

Commercial and homemade Popillia japonica Newman traps available to the public, were evaluated for relative effectiveness during the summers of 1981, 1982, and 1983 in Knox County, Tenn. Dual lure (food + sex attractant) traps (Bag-a-Bug, Lure N Kill, the Beetle Bagger, and homemade milk jug) caught significantly more beetles than did single (food) lure traps (Ellisco, modified USDA survey, and homemade milk jug). Painting homemade milk jug traps chrome yellow did not significantly increase the catch but the use of a dual lure did. Differential trap capacity affected catch more than trap or lure type under extremely heavy beetle pressure.

Attraction of Japanese Beetle Traps to Honey Bees, Bumble Bees, and Other Apoidea 1

Four standard Japanese beetle trap attractants and 4 trap colors were tested for attraction to honey bees, bumble bees, and other Apoidea. White traps with any of the 4 baits were highly attractive to honey bees; white and yellow traps accounted for 96% of the bumble bees captured and 86% of the remaining Apoidea (wild bees). White and yellow traps, regardless of baits, probably should be avoided, or their capture of beneficial insects should be monitored.

DDT as an Automatic Killing Agent in Japanese Beetle Traps

DDT as an Automatic Killing Agent in Japanese Beetle Traps

Observations on Japanese Beetle Traps

Observations on Japanese Beetle Traps

Inexpensive Japanese Beetle Traps

Inexpensive Japanese Beetle Traps

Relation of Color to the Effectiveness of Japanese Beetle Traps

Relation of Color to the Effectiveness of Japanese Beetle Traps