ARS | Publication request: Monitoring and Trapping Insects on Poinsettia with Yellow Sticky Card Traps Equipped with Light-Emitting Diodes

Submitted to: Horttechnology
Publication Acceptance Date: April 14, 2004
Publication Date: September 1, 2004
Citation: Chen, T., Chu, C., Henneberry, T.J., Umeda, K. 2004. Monitoring And Trapping Insects On Poinsettia With Yellow Sticky Card Traps Equipped With Light-Emitting Diodes. Horttechnology 14(3), 337-341.

Interpretive Summary: We monitored insect activity in a commercial grown poinsettia greenhouse with standard yellow sticky card (YC) traps and YC equipped with small lime green colored pilot light (LED-YC) traps from June 3 to November 25, 2002. Results showed that LED-YC captured more dark winged fungus gnats, silverleaf whiteflies, leafhoppers, and rove beetles compared with YC traps. Capture of western flower thrips, minute pirate bugs, and parasitic wasps were not significantly increased on the LED-YC traps. The results indicate that LED-YC traps may be useful to monitor and reduce fungus gnats, silverleaf whiteflies and leafhoppers, but not minute pirate bugs and parasitic wasps. The LED-YC traps may catch significant number of rove beetles.

Technical Abstract: Insects in a commercial poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) growing greenhouse were monitored with yellow sticky card (YC) traps and YC equipped with 530 nm lime green light-emitting diodes (LED-YC) traps from 3 June to 25 November 2002. Pest insects were: dark winged fungus gnat (Bradysia coprophila), sweet potato whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) biotype B (= B. argentifolii), western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis) and leafhopper (Empoasca sp.). Natural enemies were: Minute pirate bug (Orius tristicolor), parasitic wasps (Hymenoptera), and rove beetles (Staphylinidae). Over the 24 wks of the experiment, LED-YC traps captured more dark winged fungus gnats, sweet potato whiteflies, leafhoppers, and rove beetles compared with YC traps. Capture of western flower thrips, minute pirate bugs, and parasitic wasps were not significantly increased on the YC traps equipped with LEDs. The results indicate that the LED-YC traps attract three major pest insects in poinsettia greenhouses and do not catch more beneficial, minute pirate bugs and parasitic wasps, but may catch significant number of rove beetles. The results suggest that LED-YC traps may be useful to monitor and reduce pest populations in greenhouses.