Project Number: 5302-43000-031-06
Project Type: Trust

Start Date: Jun 01, 2003
End Date: Sep 30, 2005

Objective:
The principle goal of this project is to compare abundance of nitidulid beetles and fruit damage between treatment and comparison plots at two sites, thereby replicating previous tests which demonstrated that mass trapping for nitidulid beetles in large blocks (8-16 ha) can significantly reduce damage to figs. In addition, abundance data from other locations, remote from the sites of the paired treatment and comparison plots, will be used to further assess the effects of mass trapping on abundance.

Approach:
Traps (25 per ha) will placed around the perimeter of treatment plots to reduce abundance of nitidulid beetles in a 8 ha plot within a 56 ha planting of Calimyrna figs, and in a 16 ha plots in a 128 ha planting. Abundance of beetles will be monitored by 4 traps within the treatment plots and 4 traps in a comparison plot at each site, and an additional 4 traps will be used at sites 10-20 kilometers from the mass trapping test sites. Traps will consist of a universal bucket trap containing: 1) an emitter with 0.5 mg per species of the aggregation pheromone blend for Carpophilus hemipterus, C. mutilatus, and C. freemani, 2) ~0.5 ml of co-attractant containing fruit extract and activated yeast, and 3) a plastic strip impregnated with dichlorvos. Traps will be emptied and the co-attractant replaced on a weekly basis, and the pheromone emitters will be replaced every 3 weeks. Mass trapping traps will be run for 13 weeks, from April through mid-July, and monitoring traps will be run until the end of the harvest in September. Harvest samples (50 figs per sample, one sample per ha) will be taken at three times approximating the three harvests widely used by Calimyrna fig growers. Documents Trust with CA Fig Institute. Log 24496.

Project Team

Burks, Charles - Chuck

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