DEVELOPMENT OF SEX PHEROMONE-BAITED TRAPS FOR MONITORING CAMPYLOMMA-VERBASCI (HETEROPTERA, MIRIDAE)

Effects of commercially available pheromone blends and release rates, dispenser type, and trap design on catches of male mullein bugs, Campylomma verbasci (Meyer), in pheromone-baited traps were investigated. In the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, a 16:1 blend of butyl butyrate (BB) and 2(E)-crotyl butyrate (CB) had the highest mean trap catch combined with lowest coefficient of variation. Comparable results from Nova Scotia suggest that trapping technology developed in British Columbia can be applied throughout the east-west range of C. verbasci in Canada. Further tests in British Columbia showed that a 16:1 blend of BB and CB captured a high number of male C. verbasci when released at rates from 0.8 to 2.8 mg/d (as measured at 25-degrees-C), and a rate of 5 mg/d caught the lowest number of males. A release rate of 0.2 mg/d should be sufficiently attractive for use in a pheromone-based monitoring program, Wing traps fitted with 3-cm-long drinking-straw spacers between the trap top and bottom captured more male C. verbasci, and had a lower coefficient of variation, than wing traps without spacers. A recently developed polymer release device was found to be effective for use in a monitoring program for C. verbasci.