Management of insect pests using semiochemical traps

In the absence of effective control measures, the strawberry blossom weevil (Anthonomus rubi) (SBW) and the raspberry beetle (Byturus tomentosus) (RB) cause large (10 - >80%) losses in yield and quality in organically grown raspberry. Attractive lures for both pests were combined into a single multitrap for the economical management of both of these pests at the same time. This is one of the first approaches to pest management of non-lepidopteran insect pests of horticultural crops using semiochemicals in the EU, and probably the first to target multiple species from different insect orders. The aim is to develop optimized lures and cost-effective trap designs for mass trapping and to determine the optimum density and spatial and temporal patterns of deployment of the traps for controlling these pests by mass trapping. The combination between an aggregation pheromone that attracts Anthonomus rubi and a raspberry flower volatile that attracts Byturus tomentosus seems to be the best combination

Using semiochemical traps to study the occurrence of strawberry blossom weevil in strawberry and raspberry – what did we learn?

This study has improved our understanding of the phenology of the three species, which is of key importance to determine the timing and positioning of traps. Lure duration is one of the bottlenecks in designing commercially viable insect traps for monitoring or mass trapping. Our results emphasize that traps intended for more than one species and region either need long-lasting lures to cover all possibilities, or detailed knowledge about local conditions (e.g. prevalence of pest and surrounding host plant species etc.) to apply lures at the right tim

Design and deployment of semiochemical traps for capturing 1 Anthonomus rubi Herbst (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) and Lygus rugulipennis Poppius (Hetereoptera: Miridae) in soft fruit crops

Strawberry blossom weevil (SBW), Anthonomus rubi Herbst (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) and European tarnished plant bug (ETB), Lygus rugulipennis Poppius (Hetereoptera: Miridae), cause significant damage to strawberry and raspberry crops. Using the SBW aggregation pheromone and ETB sex pheromone we optimized and tested a single trap for both species. A series of field experiments in crops and semi-natural habitats in five European countries tested capture of the target pests and the ability to avoid captures of beneficial arthropods. A Unitrap containing a trapping agent of water and detergent and with a cross vane was more efficient at capturing both species compared to traps which incorporated glue as a trapping agent. Adding a green cross vane deterred attraction of non-pest species such as bees, but did not compromise catches of the target pests. The trap caught higher numbers of ETB and SBW if deployed at ground level and although a cross vane was not important for catches of ETB it was needed for significant captures of SBW. The potential for mass trapping SBW and ETB simultaneously in soft fruit crops is discussed including potential improvements to make this more effective and economic to deploy

Using semiochemical traps to study the occurrence of strawberry blossom weevil in strawberry and raspberry – what did we learn?

This study has improved our understanding of the phenology of the three species, which is of key importance to determine the timing and positioning of traps. Lure duration is one of the bottlenecks in designing commercially viable insect traps for monitoring or mass trapping. Our results emphasize that traps intended for more than one species and region either need long-lasting lures to cover all possibilities, or detailed knowledge about local conditions (e.g. prevalence of pest and surrounding host plant species etc.) to apply lures at the right tim