Pest Patrol 101

Although the concept of IPM (integrated pest management) has been evolving for years, vegetable producers still find it difficult to develop an IPM action plan for their farm. This article is based on a statewide insect monitoring program initiated in 2009 across Alabama after Extension surveys indicated a need for IPM training/re-training of vegetable growers.

According to the surveys, one of the major barriers to IPM adoption is the lack of awareness of IPM pro-grams. Respondents in the survey also suggested hands-on training for the correct identification of insect pests. Despite the availability of commercial pheromone traps, awareness about the usefulness of pheromone traps as scouting and decision-making tools was low, indicating the need for an intensive IPM campaign.

Insect Pheromone Traps

Pheromones are chemicals produced by insects in very small amounts from specialized glands, and the chemicals stimulate specific reactions in the receiving insect. Commercial pheromones are synthetic blends that are coated onto various types of lures for simulating natural release rates to attract moths. Even small amounts of pheromones are attractive over long distances.

Trap catches are typically observed and recorded once every week to two to three times per week, depending on scouting goal, insect species, peak activity period, and action threshold. Trap catches are a measure of insect density (the relative abundance of insects at a sampling location) and insect activity (period of active mating). The wing pheromone trap is one of the most commonly used traps available in the market (see photo). These traps have four basic parts: wire hanger, trap top (plastic), sticky bottom (with grid for counting insects), and lure. The plastic tops and wire hangers are reusable over several seasons. Some other designs that can be used include delta traps, bucket traps for short-term insect monitoring program, and Heliothis traps for mass-trapping insects. Traps can be installed on weedy field edges close to the crop. If insect invasion is suspected from one particular side, then appropriate traps should be placed early in the season to detect the first flight.

Developing An IPM Plan

Just as growers follow site-specific application of fertilizers, producers can also develop a site-specific "IPM Action Plan" based on scientific principles and cumulative experiences over many seasons. Pheromone traps should be part of an IPM Action Plan because results are consistent and comparable. Unique attributes of pheromone-based monitoring systems as a component of site-specific IPM Action Plan are as follows:

1 Generate information about early-season insect activity. The early season catch numbers can be used to forecast future generations using degree-day models for major insect pests.

2 Automatic identification of pest species. Pheromone traps are a benefit since lures are species-specific and trap catch indicates probable activity. There have been many incidences where misidentification of closely related insect species, like corn earworm, lead to unnecessary application of insecticides resulting in control failure.

3 Use traps to complement scouting programs. Pheromone traps cannot replace actual crop scouting, but growers can coordinate intense scouting activity with periods of high trap catches.

4 Using pheromone traps for IPM decision-making improves with experience. Multi-year insect monitoring with pheromones and record of pest outbreaks can provide valuable information regarding population levels critical to certain areas. Localized insect pest outbreaks can be detected in advance with pheromone traps and growers can be better prepared for protecting their vegetable crop.

Comments (1)

timmy (Wed Sep 19 02:57:12 2012)

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Pheremone traps can be an integral component of an IPM program.