Trapping of Lygus rugulipennis in Norwegian strawberry crops

European tarnished plant bug (ETB) sex pheromone traps in Norwegian strawberry must be deployed very early in the season to maximize catches. To trap females or the new generation, other attractants must be added. The strawberry blossom weevil attractant PV2 may act as a slight antagonist in ETB trapping, especially early in the season

The potential for mass trapping Lygus rugulipennis and Anthonomus rubi; trap design and efficacy

Cross vane funnel bucket traps with water and detergent captured significantly more A. rubi than sticky traps. L. rugulipennis catches were higher in the cross vane traps, but catches were impeded by the bee excluder grid. There were fewer of the target pest species captured on sticky traps and these devices tended to capture significantly more by-catch (e.g. Diptera) including beneficial insects, e.g. spiders and Carabidae. In the second experiment, the height of the green cross vane had no effect on the numbers of male L. rugulipennis trapped in the funnel traps. However, the higher cross vanes captured more coccinelids and opiliones. In the A. rubi trials there were significantly more individuals in the full height cross vane compared to the half-height or no cross vane treatments. Hence, the most effective trap for A. rubi and L. rugulipennis is a green Unitrap with no bee excluder grid. We are currently testing this device for mass trapping of both pests

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

Catching the European tarnished plant bug, Lygus rugulipennis (Hemiptera: Miridae), using baited funnel traps

The European tarnished plant bug, Lygus rugulipennis, (Hemiptera: Miridae) is a highly polyphagous species considered a pest on numerous crops, among these strawberry causing malformed or “cat-faced” berries. No effective biocontrol agents are commercially available against this pest. To contribute in the development of traps for controlling L. rugulipennis in organic strawberry crops three studies investigating several aspects influencing catches were done in South-eastern Norway and in the UK. In the first study unbaited collision traps and funnel traps enhanced with green vanes and synthetic L. rugulipennis sex pheromone and/or a synthetic strawberry plant volatile (“PV2”) were set up and emptied fortnightly through most of the growth season in five strawberry fields (in Akershus, Norway). The plant volatile is a known attractant to another strawberry pest (the strawberry blossom weevil, Anthonomus rubi) and a possible attractant to L. rugulipennis as well. The sex pheromone was not found attractive to the new generation of L. rugulipennis in Norway. When PV2 was present less L. rugulipennis were caught. Compared to traps in semi natural/boundary habitat, the catches were significantly higher in strawberry crops. The PV2 attracted A. rubi as expected but not early in the season. In the second study one funnel trap baited with the L. rugulipennis sex pheromone blend was filmed for three days (in Kent, UK). All Lygus visiting the trap were recorded. Only between 7 and 18% were confirmed to be captured, all of them walking on the vanes for some time. The third study was to investigate the application of a slippery substance (Fluon) to the funnel would increase the trap efficiency of traps without cross vanes. The traps coated with fluon caught more than the control traps, but the difference was not significant on a 0.05 level. The traps did not seem to attract pollinators to any extent. To further develop the trap for higher catches the trap design has to be improved to increase the percentage of visiting L. rugulipennis to get caught

Catching the European tarnished plant bug, Lygus rugulipennis (Hemiptera: Miridae), using baited funnel traps

The European tarnished plant bug, Lygus rugulipennis, (Hemiptera: Miridae) is a highly polyphagous species considered a pest on numerous crops, among these strawberry causing malformed or “cat-faced” berries. No effective biocontrol agents are commercially available against this pest. To contribute in the development of traps for controlling L. rugulipennis in organic strawberry crops three studies investigating several aspects influencing catches were done in South-eastern Norway and in the UK. In the first study unbaited collision traps and funnel traps enhanced with green vanes and synthetic L. rugulipennis sex pheromone and/or a synthetic strawberry plant volatile (“PV2”) were set up and emptied fortnightly through most of the growth season in five strawberry fields (in Akershus, Norway). The plant volatile is a known attractant to another strawberry pest (the strawberry blossom weevil, Anthonomus rubi) and a possible attractant to L. rugulipennis as well. The sex pheromone was not found attractive to the new generation of L. rugulipennis in Norway. When PV2 was present less L. rugulipennis were caught. Compared to traps in semi natural/boundary habitat, the catches were significantly higher in strawberry crops. The PV2 attracted A. rubi as expected but not early in the season. In the second study one funnel trap baited with the L. rugulipennis sex pheromone blend was filmed for three days (in Kent, UK). All Lygus visiting the trap were recorded. Only between 7 and 18% were confirmed to be captured, all of them walking on the vanes for some time. The third study was to investigate the application of a slippery substance (Fluon) to the funnel would increase the trap efficiency of traps without cross vanes. The traps coated with fluon caught more than the control traps, but the difference was not significant on a 0.05 level. The traps did not seem to attract pollinators to any extent. To further develop the trap for higher catches the trap design has to be improved to increase the percentage of visiting L. rugulipennis to get caught.M-ECO