scholarly journals Sharpening the Precision of Pest Management Decisions: Assessing Variability Inherent in Catch Number and Absolute Density Estimates Derived from Pheromone-Baited Traps Monitoring Insects Moving Randomly

2020 ◽  
Vol 113 (5) ◽  
pp. 2052-2060 ◽  
Author(s):  
James R Miller

Abstract During a trapping study interval, each target insect is either caught or not caught. Therefore, the current analysis treats trapping as a binomial process. Data from a binomial calculator, along with computer simulations of random walkers, documented that the inherent variance associated with estimates of absolute population density generated by a single catch number in a pheromone-baited monitoring trap becomes very high when catch probability averaged across the trap’s sampling area falls below 0.02, as is the case for most insect trapping systems operating in the open field. The imprecision associated with interpretations of single catch numbers renders many current pest management decisions risky and unsatisfactory. Here we reinforce how single-trap, multiple-release experiments can and should be used to measure catch probability, plume reach, and trap sampling area. When catch probability lies in the danger zone below 0.02, steps are suggested for how multiple traps might be deployed to raise composite catch probability to a level where estimates of absolute pest density become reliable. Heat transfer is offered as an appropriate conceptual model for the mechanics of trapping. A call is made for a radical rethinking in the designs of insect monitoring traps in light of their significant current deficits highlighted by this study.

1978 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. J. Marks

AbstractThree suitable sex pheromone trap designs for trapping the red bofiworm of cotton, Diparopsis castanea Hmps., including a simple omnidirectional monitoring trap, are described. In trials in Malawi, Diparopsis was more readily trapped on open horizontal trapping surfaces (water or adhesive) than in enclosed types of traps. The presence of a roof above the trapping surface, at spacings of up to 20 cm, significantly reduced catches. White traps, or unpainted traps in the case of vane traps constructed from galvanised metal, caught more moths than traps of other colours. Catches were greatest when monitoring traps in cotton were placed at ground level or at a height of 0·5 m and, when dicastalure was released from polyethylene vials, by employing a trap 60 cm in diameter. Evidence was obtained that competition may exist between female-baited traps spaced up to 73 m apart, although catches in traps baited with dicastalure were not significantly different when traps were 40–60 m apart. The greatest catches of moths in cotton were in traps located in insecticide-sprayed fields, but moths were also trapped in considerable numbers in other crops and to a reduced extent in open areas 4·8 km from the nearest cotton. From about the end of February, catches in maize, groundnut and fallow areas frequently exceeded the catches recorded within cotton fields, which may indicate an increased dispersal flight from cotton by adult moths later in the season. Weekly replacement in monitoring traps of polyethylene vials containing dicastalure produced maximum moth catches, but there was no significant difference in catch between traps in which pheromone was replaced at intervals of 2, 3, 4 or 6 weeks.


2011 ◽  
Vol 101 (6) ◽  
pp. 640-643 ◽  
Author(s):  
David H. Gent ◽  
Erick De Wolf ◽  
Sarah J. Pethybridge

Rational management of plant diseases, both economically and environmentally, involves assessing risks and the costs associated with both correct and incorrect tactical management decisions to determine when control measures are warranted. Decision support systems can help to inform users of plant disease risk and thus assist in accurately targeting events critical for management. However, in many instances adoption of these systems for use in routine disease management has been perceived as slow. The under-utilization of some decision support systems is likely due to both technical and perception constraints that have not been addressed adequately during development and implementation phases. Growers' perceptions of risk and their aversion to these perceived risks can be reasons for the “slow” uptake of decision support systems and, more broadly, integrated pest management (IPM). Decision theory provides some tools that may assist in quantifying and incorporating subjective and/or measured probabilities of disease occurrence or crop loss into decision support systems. Incorporation of subjective probabilities into IPM recommendations may be one means to reduce grower uncertainty and improve trust of these systems because management recommendations could be explicitly informed by growers' perceptions of risk and economic utility. Ultimately though, we suggest that an appropriate measure of the value and impact of decision support systems is grower education that enables more skillful and informed management decisions independent of consultation of the support tool outputs.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tímea Szalárdi ◽  
Szabolcs Szanyi ◽  
István Szarukán ◽  
Miklós Tóth ◽  
Antal Nagy

Lepidopteran assemblages were studied at 16 sampling sites in the Hajdúság Region between 2013 and 2020. Although studies targeted development of synthetic phenylacetaldehyde-based and semi-synthetic isoamyl alcohol-based baits for pest monitoring, traps caught 179 species belonging to the Sphingidae, Thyatiridae, Geometridae, Erebidae and Noctuidae families. Most species were pests or widely distributed generalists, but there were also many rare habitat specialists, for example, silvicol species, whose appearance was unexpected in the recently less forested region. The specificity of the two bait types tested differed notably both on family and subfamily levels. Semi-synthetic baits performed better and attracted a wide range of noctuids belonging mainly to the Xyleninae and Noctuinae subfamilies, while synthetic phenylacetaldehyde-based lures showed specificity to Plusiinae subfamilies with lower number of sampled species. Our data fill a gap of knowledge since the fauna studied formerly was nearly unknown and brings attention to the alternative use of volatile traps of agricultural pests in faunistical studies.


Insects ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 623
Author(s):  
Sara Savoldelli ◽  
Costanza Jucker ◽  
Ezio Peri ◽  
Mokhtar Abdulsattar Arif ◽  
Salvatore Guarino

Necrobia rufipes (De Geer) (Coleoptera: Cleridae), also known as the red-legged ham beetle, is a newly emerging pest of pet food stores, causing apprehension among producers worldwide. Concerns about this pest are exacerbated by the lack of information about infestation modalities in pet food, while specific monitoring tools are missing. Considering that adequate pet food packaging could limit N. rufipes infestations, information about the penetration modalities in commonly used pet food packaging is needed. Moreover, the development of appropriate monitoring instruments is urgent to detect pest presence early and to reduce chemical treatments for its control. In this paper, the adults’ and larvae’s ability to enter into pet food packaging was evaluated. Furthermore, to develop monitoring traps, behavioral bioassays were done: (1) testing two different commercial adhesive surfaces, one generally used in mouse glue traps (MG), and the other used in cockroach glue traps (CG), to evaluate their different abilities in avoiding insects’ escape; (2) screening different molecules, typical of the substrates attacked by N. rufipes, as candidate food attractants for this pest: methyl cyclopentenolone (MCP), squalene (SQ), and stearic acid (SA). The results show that N. rufipes adults and larvae enter into packaging through the air vent valves on the bottom, suggesting that a way to improve the packaging to prevent insect infestation would be to modify these points of weakness. Laboratory tests show that the different bioassayed glues have strong differences in the ability to retain the caught insects, with MG being more effective than CG. The behavioral bioassay indicated that MCP and SQ attract N. rufipes adults in olfactometer. Finally, the results of dual-choice arena bioassays show that among the candidate attractant tested, a mixture of pet food (PF) and MCP elicited the strongest attraction in N. rufipes adults. These results encourage further experiments with the use of an MG adhesive trap loaded with a mixture of PF+MCP to test the effectiveness of such a tool for monitoring N.rufipes in pet food industries and warehouses.


2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (5) ◽  
pp. 1127-1136
Author(s):  
Nicholas L Grocock ◽  
Maya L Evenden

Abstract The bertha armyworm (BAW) Mamestra configurata Walker is a significant pest of canola Brassica napus L. (Brassicales: Brassicaceae) in western Canada. Its activity is monitored through a large network of pheromone-baited monitoring traps as a part of the Prairie Pest Monitoring Network across the Canadian Prairies. The unintentional bycatch of bee pollinators in pheromone-baited traps targeting moth pests occurs in many agroecosystems and may have repercussions for biodiversity and pollination services of wild plants and managed crops. We conducted field experiments to determine the abundance and diversity of bees attracted to green-colored BAW pheromone-baited traps across the canola growing regions of Alberta, Canada. A higher species diversity and more bumble bees were captured in BAW pheromone-baited than in unbaited control traps. Bombus rufocinctus Cresson (Hymenoptera: Apidae) was the most commonly captured species. Few other wild bees or honey bees Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae) were captured during this study. Additionally, we evaluated the influence of local and landscape-level habitat features on bee bycatch. Local flowering plant abundance improved overall model fit but did not directly impact bee bycatch. The proportion of natural and seminatural habitat, and especially forested area, in the area surrounding monitoring traps affected bee bycatch. Both local and landscape-scale factors were important in this study and often have combined effects on bee communities. This study provides recommendations to reduce the bycatch of beneficial bee pollinators in a large-scale pheromone-baited monitoring network.


2018 ◽  
Vol 109 (05) ◽  
pp. 561-573 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard V. Sequeira

AbstractCreontiades dilutus (green mirid) and C. pacificus (brown mirid) are major hemipteran pests of transgenic (Bt) cotton in Australia. Current integrated pest management (IPM) guidelines for mirids in Australian cotton, based on economic thresholds and sampling recommendations, were developed and disseminated to industry at the start of the 2005–06 growing season and have remained largely unchanged since then. However, adoption of mirid IPM guidelines by industry has been highly variable and generally well below expectation. Annual surveys of crop protection practices across the Australian cotton industry, from 2010 to 2017, indicate that a third of all mirid sprays are applied below the recommended thresholds each year. More than half of all survey respondents in the 2017 survey indicated lack of confidence in the mirid thresholds due to highly variable and disproportionate damage, a phenomenon best described as the ‘mirid enigma’. A critical review of RD&E outputs since 1998 shows that potential contributors to the mirid enigma include but are not limited to biological, ecological and methodological factors. Mirid feeding damage is likely to vary with developmental stage, gender and reproductive status. Ecological factors including trophic effects and multiple host plant usage are potential modifiers of mirid feeding damage. Methodological and technological constraints and shortcomings are evident in the threshold research done to date. Inadequate commercial sampling that results in unreliable estimates of pest density in the crop is a major contributor to the mirid enigma. Failure to account for the complexity of factors that can influence the nature and severity of mirid damage to cotton often results in fruit loss due to non-mirid related factors being incorrectly attributed to mirids. An alternative approach to mirid management based on modelling the dynamics of net fruit load (production–loss) proposed over 15 years ago is discussed.


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