Western corn rootworm pheromone (Diabrotica virgifera)
Western corn rootworm (Diabrotica virgifera).
Cereal crops (corn).
Remove the bait from the sachet, place it in a trap and place it at a height of 1-2 m, on a vertical support. For monitoring, bait density should be at least 1 per hectare, but less than 2 per holding. It is recommended to start using baits even before the development of the first generation of the pest, and continue until the end of the season.
Lures can be changed every 10-12 weeks to get the most accurate results.
Manufacturer: Russell IPM
Pheromone bait for monitoring and trapping the western corn rootworm(Diabrotica virgifera), a dangerous quarantine pest of corn native to North America.
Diabrotica virgifera is one of the most important pests of maize, wheat, soyabean and cucurbits in North America. Corn rootworms cause millions of dollars of damage each year. During summer, adult western corn rootworms enter into open field crops and lay their eggs in the soil. Larvae cause the gretest damage by feeding on roots which can cause >15% crop losses. Adults feed on on corn silk, pollen and kernels. Monitor adults using species-specific pheromone-baited yellow sticky traps to time treatments as part of an effective integrated pest management programme.
Advantages:
- for 6 weeks, Diabrotica virgifera bugs are baited and trapped, giving a clear indication of the pest population;
- pest detection at early stages of population development;
- the possibility of mass capture;
- easy to apply together with different types of pheromone traps.
Pheromone lures are very sensitive tool. They can be affected by exposure to elevated heat and direct sunshine. Direct touching by hand may cause cross contamination leading to mixed catches in the trap. Some contaminants such as Nicotine may have repellent effect reducing trap catch.
