Visually and olfactorily enhanced attractive devices for thrips management

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Entomology
• Pest Management
• Insect Behavior

Background:

• The 'lure-and-infect' strategy offers potential for insect pest management but has limited practical applications.
• Developing effective traps is crucial for advancing auto-dissemination and lure-and-infect techniques for thrips control.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the attractiveness of different trap types and the efficacy of methyl isonicotinate (MI) lure for thrips.
• To identify superior trap designs for potential use in auto-dissemination and lure-and-infect pest management systems.

Main Methods:

• Three trap designs (white ruffle, blue ruffle, modified Lynfield) were tested against a standard blue sticky plate trap (Bug-scan).
• Tests were conducted in greenhouse (roses) and field (grass) settings, with and without the thrips attractant methyl isonicotinate (MI).
• Captured thrips species included western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis), onion thrips (Thrips tabaci), and New Zealand flower thrips (Thrips obscuratus).

Main Results:

• The white ruffle trap demonstrated significantly higher visual attractiveness to thrips compared to the control Bug-scan trap, in both greenhouse and field conditions.
• Methyl isonicotinate (MI) lure substantially increased thrips captures across trap types, particularly for Thrips tabaci in the field.
• The white ruffle trap's effectiveness was less enhanced by MI for Frankliniella occidentalis in the greenhouse compared to other traps.

Conclusions:

• Trap color and structure are critical visual cues for thrips attraction, with white ruffle designs showing high potential.
• Olfactory cues (MI lure) significantly enhance trap efficacy, but the interaction with trap design varies by thrips species and environment.
• Optimized trap design incorporating both visual and olfactory elements is key for developing effective lure-and-infect strategies for thrips management.