NOVEL INSECT TRAP USEFUL IN CAPTURING SAP BEETLES (COLEOPTERA, NITIDULIDAE) AND OTHER FLYING INSECTS

A novel trap designed to catch sap beetles and many other insects is described. This trap is durable, being manufactured from PVC pipe and brass screen. The modular trap orients in the wind such that air flows over screened-off bait compartments and through a screen funnel entrance. Insects approach and enter from down-wind and become trapped after passing through a wire mesh funnel. They subsequently move through a connecting tube, through an additional funnel, and into a removable collector. Catches of sap beetles were superior to a commercially available Japanese beetle trap. Several thousand sap beetles (primarily Carpophilus lugubris Murray) could be captured with appropriate baits over a 1-wk period. Fungi from the trapped sap beetles included Aspergillus flavus Link:Fr. and numerous common genera with species recognized as plant pathogens, entomopathogens, saprophytes, or biocontrol agents. Other families of insects that contain pests and were captured include Cantharidae, Chrysomelidae, Elateridae, Culicidae, Drosophilidae, Muscidae, Vespidae, and Noctuidae.