Standard Bait Research Articles

Orchomene nanus (Krøyer) (Amphipoda: Lysianassoidea), a selective scavenger of dead crabs: feeding preferences in the field

Simultaneously deployed multiple-trap rigs were proven to function replicably at a shallow-water (5–6 m) study site. A standard (crushed) bait of whole crabs [ Carcinus maenas (L.)] attracted significantly more Orchomene nanus than control (unbaited) traps. Traps were not inherently attractive. Crab bait was significantly more attractive than fish, or scampi. However, in a comparison between crushed representatives of three crab genera, no significant differences in the ability to attract Orchomene nanus were detected. Live Carcinus maenas attracted no Orchomene nanus. Crab limbs were as attractive as crab bodies minus limbs. Freshly dead crabs were more attractive than dead crabs that had been leached for 6 days. Fifty percent of Orchomene nanus survived 27 days in situ without extraneous food (although cannibalistic possibilities cannot be ruled out); a facility that would help overcome interludes of food shortage. All size-categories of Orchomene nanus were attracted to crab bait. Orchomene nanus is thus an unusual species: a diminutive, selective (and possibly obligate) scavenger specializing on high quality carrion.

Development of a Dry Plastic Insect Trap with Food-Based Synthetic Attractant for the Mediterranean and Mexican Fruit Flies (Diptera: Tephritidae)

A dry plastic insect trap for monitoring populations of tephritid fruit flies is described. The plastic trap is constructed of acetate film that is painted to provide a visual cue and contains a toxic ant panel that provides a visual cue and a feeding stimulant to flies that have entered the trap. The trap baited with a 2-component blend of ammonium acetate and putrescine was tested against feral populations of the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), and the Mexican fruit fly, Anastrepha ludens (Loew), in field trials conducted in Guatemala. The combination of ammonium acetate and putrescine was better than either ammonium acetate-only, putrescine-only, or unbaited traps. More female Mediternmean fruit flies were trapped in green traps than in colorless traps, and capture of male Mediternmean fruit flies was greater in yellow traps than in orange traps. Neither female nor male Mexican fruit flies differentiated among orange, green, and yellow traps, but the percentage trapped in any colored trap was higher than in colorless traps. McPhail traps with standard protein bait caught more Mexican fruit flies than either of the plastic traps at any of the doses of synthetic baits tested. However, plastic traps baited with either the medium or high dose of synthetic blend caught equal numbers of Mediterranean fruit flies as McPhail traps. Although McPhail traps caught more female Mediterranean fruit flies than plastic traps baited with the low dose of synthetic blend, a greater percentage of females captured in plastic traps were unmated (55-65% versus 22% in McPhail traps). Increase in dose of the synthetic lure increased the percentage of mated females captured in the plastic traps. Unlike McPhail traps, which catch large numbers of miscellaneous Diptera, the plastic traps were highly specific and caught few nontarget flies.

PH Effect on the Attractiveness of a Corn Hydrolysate to the Mediterranean Fruit Fly and Several Anastrepha Species (Diptera: Tephritidae

Field trials were conducted to determine the attractiveness of aqueous formulations of a protein bait, NuLure, as compared with a standard bait of pelletized torula yeast plus sodium borate for the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Weidemann); the Mexican fruit fly, Anastrepha ludens (Loew); and other Anastrepha spp. The addition of 1-10% borax to 10% NuLure solution increased bait pH, which corresponded directly with increase in number of female C. capitata trapped in field trials. The percentage of female C. capitata trapped with NuLure at a pH of 8.6 was significantly greater than with traps baited with five torula yeast plus borax pellets. NuLure + 1% borax attracted significantly fewer male C. capitata than either torula yeast plus borax pellets or NuLure + 5 or 10% borax. Significantly fewer female and male A. ludens were attracted by the NuLure + 1% borax than most of the other baits tested. Capture of female and male flies of other Anastrepha spp. generally paralleled the preference in attraction of A. ludens to the various protein baits.

Four-Component Synthetic Food Bait for Attracting Both Sexes of the Melon Fly (Diptera: Tephritidae)

A nine-component synthetic mixture was developed to replace protein hydrolysates as food bait for melon flies, Dacus cucurbitae Coquillett , based on likely breakdown products of protein fermentation and on nutritional considerations. The nine-component mixture was found to be as attractive as a standard hydrolyzed protein bait. Subsequent research showed that only four of the nine components were important. The four-component mixture, made up of ammonium bicarbonate, linolenic acid, putrescine, and pyrrolidine, was as effective as the standard food bait.

Evaluation of Starch Encapsulation for Formulation of Grasshopper (Orthoptera: Acrididae) Entomopoxviruses

An entomopoxvirus isolated from Melanoplus sanguinipes (F.) and currently under consideration as a microbial control agent for rangeland grasshoppers was formulated in starch matrices containing various adjuvants and fed to M. sanguinipes nymphs. Percent mortality 21 d after exposure to granules containing molasses (a feeding stimulant) and carbon (an ultraviolet [UV] light screen) was 80%, whereas a formulation containing Congo red produced only 35% mortality. Although control mortality averaged 31 %, percent infection of surviving control grasshoppers was only 1.5%. Percent infection of surviving grasshoppers fed starch-encapsulated virus containing molasses and carbon was 89.7%, whereas only 30% of the survivors were infected following exposure to granules with Congo red. A field test in which starch granules laced with carbaryl were applied to small rangeland plots demonstrated that grasshoppers located and fed upon the granules as readily as the commercial standard wheat bran bait. Survival of virus and acceptance of the starch bait by grasshoppers suggest that this versatile formulation technique should playa major part in the development of grasshopper microbial control products.

Strain of Staphylococcus Attractive to Laboratory Strain Anastrepha ludens (Diptera: Tephritidae)

A bacterium isolated from the mouthparts of a laboratory-culture female Mexican fruit fly, Anastrepha ludens (Loew), was highly attractive to sugar-fed, protein-starved, 4–16-d-old male and female laboratory-cultured Mexican fruit flies. The bacterium was identified as a strain of Staphylococcus (RGM-1) matching most closely to S. aureus. This is the first report of a Staphylococcus attractive to a tephritid species. Four S. aureus strains purchased from the American Type Culture Collection were as attractive to A. ludens as RGM-1. Tryptic soy broth cultures of RGM-1 were compared with torula yeast-borax, a standard bait for Anastrepha, for attractiveness to Mexican fruit flies. Bacterial preparations generally were less attractive or at best equally attractive as torula yeast-borax when baits were tested in pairs of competing McPhail traps in a greenhouse flight chamber and in a grapefruit orchard.

Red Imported Fire Ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Control with a Corn Grit Bait of Fenoxycarb without Soybean Oil

The standard fenoxycarb fire ant bait formulation (Logic), composed of pregel defatted corn grits and soybean oil toxicant, was modified by eliminating the soybean oil. This formulation without soybean oil contained greater than 2 times more fenoxycarb and was as effective as the standard bait formulation against laboratory colonies of red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren. In field tests, the modified and standard baits were equally effective in controlling fire ants after 6, 12, and 18 wk. Individual worker ants obtained from plots treated with fenoxycarb baits without soybean oil had greater than 47 times less fenoxycarb than did workers from the plots treated with the standard fenoxycarb baits containing soybean oil.

Temporal change in foraging behaviour of the fish Coryphaenoides (Nematonurus) yaquinae in the central North Pacific

Deep-sea grenadier fish Coryphaenoides (Nematonurus) yaquinae were attracted to a baited free-fall video camera and tracklng vehicle dunng deployments in the central North Pacific (31°N, 159 W) at a depth of 5800 m. The mean time of arrival of the first fish was 31.0 min after landing on the sea floor. The mean number of fish within camera view increased to a peak of 5.25 at 90 min after landing and decreased thereafter The mitial arrival rate was 0.06 fish mm-' , and mean fish staying time was 122 min The staying time was much shorter than in previous work at this site, suggesting a change in food supply with time of year Grenadiers were tracked using ingestible acoustic transmitters. The mean time until transmitter ingestion after the bait landed was 85.1 min. Fish that swallowed transmitters dispersed at radial rates of l to 20 cm S ' , and all had departed to a range of > 1000 m by 13 h after landlng. Movements to an altitude of > 15 m were recorded for 60 % of fish tracked and occupied 12.9 10 of total tracking time. Bottom current speeds were between < 1 and 9 cm S-' with a tidal rhythmicity Deep-sea macrourid fish, Coryphaenoides (Nematonurus) armatus and C. (N.) yaquinae, are attracted to baits deployed at abyssal depths (Wilson & Smith 1984). Movements of these fish can then be tracked since they will swallow (Priede & Smith 1986) and retain (Armstrong & Baldwin 1990) acoustic transmitters. Earlier work has compared arrival rates and staying time of grenadiers at a standard bait in contrasting areas of the Pacific Ocean (Priede et al. 1990). The areas studied were a relatively eutrophic region at 4400 m under the California current (Stn F, 32 50' N, 124 W) and an oligotrophic station a t 5800 m under the central North Pacific gyre (CNP, 31°N, 159 W). Priede et al. (1990) were able to record the range and the degree of vertical movement of acoustically tagged fish at Stn F but not at CNP. Present address SOAFD, Freshwater Fishenes Laboratory, Pitlochry, Perthshire PHI6 5LB, UK O Inter-Research/Pnnted in Germany The present study collected acoustic tracking data from CNP to supplement the previous work. The study was conducted at a different time of the year to earlier work at CNP and therefore allows a n assessment of temporal variation in foraging behaviour of Coryphaenoides yaquinae, the only grenadier species recorded from this area (Wilson & Waples 1983). Methods. First fish arrival times and the change in fish numbers around a standard mackerel bait were recorded using the free-fall vehicle (FVV) described by Priede et al. (1990). Photographic data were collected during deployments of the FVV between 30 March and 23 April 1989. Either 2 or 3 baited acoustic transmitters were included on each of 8 of these deployments; range and altitude of fish that swallowed these transmitters were also recorded on the FVV. The acoustic recording system utilised in this study had a maximum range of over 1000 m, substantially greater than that in the earlier study. Current speed was measured on a separate mooring using a current meter (S10 Model 6 with Savonius rotor and directional vane) suspended at 2 to 3 m above the seabed. Results. The delay between FVV landing and arrival of the first fish seen swimming against the current ranged from 9 to 54 min with a mean of 31.0 min (n = 10, SD = 11.28). On 2 occasions fish that apparently did not detect the food were seen swimming across and down-current; these were excluded from the analysis since they were apparently not responding to the odour plume from the bait (Wilson & Smith 1984). Mean maximum numbers of fish within camera view increased steadily to a peak of 5 fish at ca 90 rnin after landing (Fig. l ) . Thereafter the numbers gradually declined to a mean of less than 1 fish at 12 h from landing. The equation of Priede et al. (1990) was fitted to the data to give estimates of the initial arrival rate of fish (%, min-l), mean fish staying time (p , min) and a 196 Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 76: 195-199, 1991 Fig. l . Coryphaenoides (Nematonurus) yaquinae. Video observations of mean (+ SE) number of grenadier fish within camera view, an area of ca 2 m2 of seafloor, in relation to time after landing from deployments at Stn CNP. Means are given for the maximum number of fish observed in each Yz or l h period, depending on sampling frequency Rangc (m) 0 0 0 0 8 8 8 o c u + a m ~

PHEROMONE TRAPS FOR MONITORING FALL ARMYWORM, SPODOPTERA FRUGIPERDA (LEPIDOPTERA: NOCTUIDAE), POPULATIONS1

Comparisons of traps for capturing fall army worm, Spodoptera frugiperda, baited with virgin females or synthetic pheromone were conducted at Dade County and Quincy, FL, Brownsville, TX, and Tifton, GA. Significantly higher numbers of fall armyworm males were captured in traps, irrespective of design, that were baited with a four - component lure, Terochem, than in identical traps baited with virgin females or a standard bait containing a 10 : 1 ratio of (Z) - 9 - dodecenol - 1 - ol acetate and (Z) - 9 - tetradecen - 1 - ol acetate. Wire - cone Hartstack traps baited with Terochem captured significantly more males than a plastic funnel - type Unitrap in two of three locations at Tifton, GA, during 1984 - 85, and at Quincy, FL, 1984. At Brownsville, TX, and Dade County, FL, the Unitrap baited with Terochem lures captured ca. as many or more fall armyworm males, respectively, than the Hartstack design. Standard green, yellow, and white Unitraps captured 2× more fall armyworm males than solid green Unitraps, suggesting that the color may influence rates of capture.

Effect of Additives on the Evaporation of the Most Active Isomer of Trimedlure, the Attractant for Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae)1

Trimedlure (TML) is a synthetic attractant for the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann). This work describes the biological activity of and the evaporation of TML from cotton wick dispensers treated with the most active of the eight isomers, TML-C, both alone and mixed with additives to facilitate delivery of this solid isomer. Field bioas say and chemical analyses were used to measure effectiveness of dispensers that had been aged as long as 10 weeks. Pure TML-C deposited as tiny crystals from an acetone solution was a highly effective and long-lasting attractant. All five additives evaluated caused an increase in the evaporation rate of TML-C but, in general, did not significantly enhance the number of flies trapped. Tetra ethylene glycol dim ethyl ether (Tet EG-DM), the least volatile of additives, yielded the smallest increase in evaporation rate of TML-G Insect catches were not significantly different in relation to TML-C evaporation rates, varying from 6 to 20 mg per day (warm weather field test) or from 3 to 10 mg per day (cool weather field test). In a laboratory test using TML enhanced in isomer C (TML- 61% C), a 5°C increase in temperature (43 versus 48°C) raised evaporation rates 1.3- to 1.7- fold. The standard TML bait currently used for C. capitata detection was significantly less effective as an attractant after 2–4 weeks of aging than was TML-C alone or with additives.

Insecticide baits for control of the black field cricket (Teleogryllus commodus)

Abstract The toxicity and killing potential of various insecticide baits to the black field cricket (Teleogryllus commodus Walker) (Orthoptera:Gryllidae) were investigated in laboratory trials. A selection of these baits was tested against field populations of crickets in large-scale aerial bait application trials which covered > 800 ha of Northland hill country. Maldison concentration in grain baits could be increased to 1½× the standard concentration with a subsequent reduction in the rate of grain used per ha. This could result in cost savings of up to 37%, particularly at high cricket infestations. A grain bait, dyed green to reduce losses from birds, gave a level of cricket kill similar to that of the standard maldison bait. Maldison treated sawdust bait was effective at high cricket densities. Pirimiphos-methyl, fenitrothion, and decamethrin gave kills comparable to the standard maldison bait. Pirimiphos-methyl showed the most promise as an alternative to maldison when incorporated on a grain bait.

Improved Attractant for Navel Orangeworm (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) Egg Traps in Almonds

Dry almond press cake was compared with standard wheat bran bait in Amyelois transitella (Walker) egg traps in California almond orchards. Trapping data from three locations in the Central Valley showed that traps containing almond press cake collected more eggs than traps with wheat bran throughout the 1980 season. The almond press cake traps were also easier to maintain and service than the wheat bran traps.

Red Imported Fire Ant: Levels of Infestation in Different Land Management Areas of the Texas Coastal Prairies and an Appraisal of the Control Program in Fort Bend County, Texas123

From July through November 1972, 4 areas in Fort Bend Co., TX, the center of infestation of Solenopsis invicta Buren in the central coastal prairies of East Texas, were surveyed for infestation. Particular attention was given to type of habitat, vegetation, and degree of infestation. The survey showed this county to be heavily infested. The red imported fire ants were found in pastureland, cropland, and woodland, but they were more common in pastureland. An aerial application of standard (4X) mirex bait was made to 4 established research blocks in Fort Bend Co. in the fall of 1972 to control S. invicta. The total pretreatment count of mounds was 2169, an avg 542 mounds/block. Two blocks, treated when air and soil temperatures were favorable, showed good control (100–99%) at 8–8½ mo post-treatment. Two blocks, treated as temperatures began to drop, showed a slower kill and lesser control (88–93%) at 10 mo posttreatment.

Some Aspects of Morphology and Development in the Chytridiales

SUMMARY Single-sporangium isolates of Chytridium ottariensis, Chytriomyces hyalinus, Phlyctochytrium powhatanensis, and Rhizophydium sphaerocarpum have a stable type of thallus development regardless of the growth medium or substrate used. However, medium is highly influential on the size range of sporangia and resting spores. Thallus growth on standard chytrid baits is epi-endobiotic and also interbiotic; resting spores produced on these baits occur on or in the substrate. Sporangium and resting spore size ranges for 17 isolates of C. hyalinus on a given medium were not significantly different. Apophysis shape within any one strain on any medium was highly variable and ranged from spherical, clavate, elongate, to catenulate. Both lid and flap opercula occurred in five of the 17 strains but in the remaining 12 the opercula were either flap or lid but not both. Location of thallus, position of resting spore, and presence of catenulate apophyses were not constant within any strain for any medium or substrate. In an exploration of species concepts in the chytrids, it becomes immediately apparent that the constancy of the characters used to delineate families, genera, and species needs verification. The stability of many characters used for separation of genera has not been established since very few species of chytrids have been studied in axenic culture or tested for variability on natural substrates. Some indications of the morphologic plasticity of these organisms are found in recent

An Improved Mirex Bait Formulation for Control of Imported Fire Ants 123

A new method was developed for formulating mirex bait for control of Solenopsis richteri Forel and Solenopsis invicta Buren. The mirex is incorporated into the outer layer of soybean oil on the corncob grits and the bait is coated with an acrylic latex. The oil content of the formulation can be increased by one-third, thus more oil or food attractant is available to the ants. Incorporation of the mirex in the oil on the surface of the grits makes a greater percentage of the insecticide available to the ants (89 vs. 55% in the standard bait). Field tests in Georgia with aerial applications of the new formulation against S. invicta showed that the coated bait containing 0.1% mirex and applied at 1.0 1b per acre gave control comparable to standard bait containing 0.3 % mirex applied at a rate of 1¼ lb per acre (99.6 vs. 99.1%, respectively).

Development of the Bait Principle for Control of Boll Weevils: Addition of Terpenoids and Related Plant Constituents12

In laboratory biossays, several candidate attractants incorporated into a cottonseed oil bait increased the olfactory response of Anthonomus grandis Boheman 10- to 16-fold over the response to the standard unfortified bait. Also, in a ½-acre field-cage test, a mixture of N -borneol, rose oxide, a-pinene, and linalool oxide bait added to cottonseed oil bait that contained dye for a marker increased the response of weevils 48% before mid-September. After that period, none of the attractants elicited an increase in response.

Report on Olive Fly Control with Ultra‐low Volume Concentrate Bait Air Sprays

AbstractIn the 1968 olive fly control season the effectiveness of an ultra‐low volume concentrate bait consisting of 87% protein hydrolysate and 13% insecticide Malathion ULV 96% and of a standard type bait, consisting of 12% protein hydrolysate Atropaz, 1,57% malathion 57% (0.9% active ingredient) and 86.43% water, applied by air against the Dacus fly were compared. Both baits resulted in very good olive fly control and the olive fruit at the end of the season was completely free of any infestation. No differences in the effectiveness of the two baits tried could be established, however.

Comparative Damage to Automobile Finishes of Promising Bait-Spray Toxicants for Fruit Flies2

Formulations of protein hydrolysate bait in 19 potential toxicants for tephritid fruit flies were tested for their effect on automobile finishes. The standard bait spray (containing malathion) had caused damage to lacquer automobile finishes in earlier eradication programs against the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), when not washed off soon after deposition. Although several phosphate toxicants were less damaging to some type of finishes than malathion, others were more destructive, and none was completely safe. When the bait sprays contained high concentrations of sugar or molasses, damage was reduced but not prevented. Zectran® (4-dimethylamino-3,5-xylyl methycarbamate) a carbamate which has compared favorably with malathion as a toxicant in preliminary bait spray tests, was relatively safe, even on the newer acrylic finishes. Malathion spray deposits caused damage to the more susceptible paints in a relatively short time, especially under hot conditions. Therefore, until a suitable substitute is found for malathion in aerial sprays for fruit By control, auto-mobile owners should be cautioned to wash their cars as soon as possible after spray applications to prevent spot damage to paint finishes.

Attractants for Japanese beetles tested in the field.

Of 19 attractants tested for attractiveness to the Japanese beetle, Popillia japonica Newman, about 50% were superior to the standard bait, anethole-eugenol (9:1). Phenyl ethyl butyrate, caproic acid, a combination of both, or either in combination with eugenol, were outstanding. Generally, fermenting baits were inferior. Phenyl ethyl butyrate-eugenol (9:1) and technical geraniol-eugenol (9:1) were about twice as efficient as the standard. The standard attractant was diluted with Deobase® (deodorized kerosene) to ½ its concentration with no loss in attractancy.

Attractants for the Walnut Husk Fly1

The initial and continuing effectiveness of a sticky trap baited with powdered ammonium carbonate as an attractant for the walnut husk fly, Rhagoletis completa Cresson, was studied in comparison with that of a standard glycine-sodium hydroxide bait solution. The characteristics of the ammonium carbonate trap were determined for the purpose of optimum use in surveys of the distribution of this species, for which this trap proved to be well suited. Among other ammonia-producing salts studied was diammonium azelate, which was initially more effective than ammonium carbonate but declined rapidly. Diammonium succinate was only slightly less effective than ammonium carbonate. Of other types of dry traps baited with ammonium carbonate, a sticky trap consisting of a waxed and plastic-lined cardboard tube hung horizontally proved to be twice as effective as the standard sticky trap. A plastic horizontal fruit-fly trap was not effective when similarly baited with ammonium cabonate. When used as attractants in the standard sticky trap, the following materials, in decreasing order of effectiveness with respect to total catch, attracted predominantly male walnut husk flies: oil of angelica seed, 97% males; sec -butyl 6-methyl 3- cydohexene-1-carboxylate, 80%; anisyl acetone, 74%; and methyl eugenol, 90%. The last two compounds were but weakly attractive.