Insect trap

Insect trap

Insect traps can be used to monitor or directly reduce insect populations. They typically use a food, visual lures, chemical attractants and pheromones that do not injure other animals or humans or result in residues on foods or feeds. Visual lures use light, bright colors and shapes to attract pests. Chemical attractants or pheromones are the substances female insects use to sexually attract males to them. Insect traps can be used in an environmentally sound manner in pest management programs instead of pesticides. No insecticides need to be used and beneficial insects rarely become trapped.

Insect traps can be used to determine when pests emerge, how many there are and where they are coming from. The sooner this information is understood, the easier it is to control pests with other measures.

In many cases traps alone have been shown to control pest populations below levels of economic damage.

Flies and wasps are attracted by proteins. Mosquitoes and many other insects are attracted by bright colors, carbon dioxide, lactic acid, floral or fruity fragrances, warmth, and moisture and pheromones.

Insect traps in practice

At present, several traps are used both in the commercial sector (eg commercial greenhouses) and by individual gardeners. The commercial sector primarily focuses on highly effective traps as pheromone traps, while gardeners tend to stay with low-tech, cheap traps based on foods or home-grown prodution.

Examples of food traps

Following traps are used extensively by gardeners [ [http://www.organicgardening.com/subchannel/1,7513,s1-2-9,00.html Some organic food traps used in pest controls] ] [ [http://www.ibiblio.org/rge/course/ Another set of food traps for organic gardening/pest control] ] :

* eggshells: strewn on the ground; protects plants against snails
* sunflower-flowerbottoms: against mice and rats
* carrot disks: against click beetles and crane flies
* sawdust: against onion fly, carrot fly and cabbage flies
* flour grains: made from 3 parts flour, 2 parts chalc, and 1 part sugar, knid to a grain; against mice
* beer and regular pot traps: small pots, filled with 2 cm beer or without anything at all, dug into the soil; against snails and other insects

ee also

* Malaise trap
* Insecticidal soap
* List of repellent plants
* List of beneficial weeds
* Organic farming
* Biological pest control

References

* [http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/IN080 Insect Attractants and Traps] R. Weinzierl, T. Henn, P. G. Koehler and C. L. Tucker University of Florida IFAS Extension
* [http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/waac/wn/wn13/wn13-1/wn13-108.html Insect Traps in Conservation Surveys] Dale Paul Kronkright "waac Newsletter" Volume 13, Number 1, Jan. 1991, pp.21-23


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