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Evaluation of
Multiple Traps and Ethanol Lures for Effectiveness at Monitoring Asian
and Other Species of Ambrosia Beetle Near Commercial Nurseries
Jason B.
Oliver and Nadeer N. Youssef
Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Research Seminar Series
Nursery Crop
Research Station
Tennessee State University, McMinnville, TN
March 9, 2005
The Asian
ambrosia beetle (AAB), Xylosandrus crassiusculus Motschulsky (Coleoptera:
Scolytidae), has become a serious pest of ornamental plants in the
southeastern U.S. Other ambrosia beetles also commonly attack nursery
stock including the black stem or tea root borer (Xylosandrus
germanus Blandford) and the lesser shothole borer (Xyleborinus
saxeseni Ratzeburg). Ambrosia beetles damage woody plants when the
female beetle initiates a gallery system in the trunk and inoculates the
gallery with a symbiotic fungi (ambrosia). The ambrosia beetle adults
and larvae then feed on the ambrosia fungus. The combination of
tunneling in the xylem and the introduction of pathogens can result in
rapid tree mortality. Emergence time of overwintering ambrosia beetles
can vary greatly with region and weather conditions. Therefore,
monitoring ambrosia beetle flight activity with ethanol-baited traps is
the best method to direct scouting efforts and time insecticide
applications. The optimum ambrosia beetle trap should be effective, easy
to use, and low cost.
The current study
evaluated multiple trap types and lures for efficacy in collection of
AAB and other species of ambrosia beetle. The non-commercial (homemade)
traps evaluated were the Baker 2L soda bottle trap (http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/O&T/trees/note122/note122.html),
the Robinson cup trap (http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/county/smith/industry/maketrap.html), a pan trap, a purple-colored stake covered
in insect glue, and a Kovach vane trap. Commercial traps tested were the
PheroTech four-funnel Lindgren trap, the IPM Tech InterceptTM
PTBB Panel trap, the Gempler yellowjacket dome trap, the green-colored
fall armyworm bucket trap, and the Japanese beetle trap. Three lures
were tested with some of the trap treatments, including homemade ethanol
bait (pill bottle with ethanol and a wick), PheroTech’s Ultra High
Release (UHR) ethanol lure, and IPM Tech’s Ambrosia Beetle Ethanol Bait
(ABE). Traps were emptied biweekly from the 28 February until 8 May 2003
and specimens were stored in alcohol and identified to species.
Studies confirm that
several trap types provided efficient and low cost options for
monitoring ambrosia beetle flights. A total of 10,204 ambrosia beetles
were collected during the study, including 5,426 AAB, 3,162 lesser
shothole borers, 726 black stem borers, 118 yellow-banded timber beetles
(Monarthrum fasciatum Say), 46 apple wood stainers (Monarthrum
mali Fitch), and 745 unidentified scolytids. Some of the
unidentified specimens were Xyleborus pelliculosus Eichhoff, but
were not sorted. Ethanol baited traps were better than non-baited
control traps. The Japanese beetle trap was the user-friendliest trap in
terms of opening, emptying, and changing the lure baits. The Baker 2L
trap had the lowest cost to operate, while the IPM Tech Panel trap was
the most expensive. Sticky traps were not user-friendly. The cost of
using homemade and commercial lures was equivalent, but homemade lures
required frequent ethanol recharging. The Kovach and Lindgren funnel
were the only traps that effectively caught all three important
nursery-attacking ambrosia beetle species (i.e., AAB, black stem borer,
and lesser shothole borer). The most effective AAB traps were the Baker
2L, Kovach vane, Japanese beetle, and Lindgren funnel. The most
effective black stem borer traps were the Kovach vane, pan, Baker,
Lindgren, and IPM Tech Panel traps. The most effective lesser shothole
borer traps were the Kovach vane, Lindgren, and IPM Tech panel traps.
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