Effect of the trap color on the capture of ichneumonids wasps (Hymenoptera)

Abstract

The responses of adult ichneumonids to colors were studied through comparing the effectiveness of standardized interception traps in seven different colors, in Liupanshan, Daxinggou and Xinbin (China). The captured ichneumonids belonged to 13 subfamilies: Anomaloninae, Banchinae, Campopleginae, Cryptinae, Ctenopelmatinae, Diplazontinae, Ichneumoninae, Mesochorinae, Ophioninae, Orthocentrinae, Phrudinae, Pimplinae, and Tryphoninae. Field trapping results indicated that yellow and green traps collected more ichneumonids than did the traps of other colors. Black was the least efficient color for collecting ichneumonids in Liupanshan and Xinbin. The most frequently collected specimens were from the subfamilies Ctenopelmatinae, Campopleginae and Cryptinae, while the least frequently collected were from Phrudinae, Ophioninae and Diplazontinae in Liupanshan and Xinbin. In Daxinggou, black and yellow traps collected more ichneumonids than did other color traps, with white traps collecting the least. Most captured ichneumonids at this site were from Campopleginae and Cryptinae, whereas only a small number of specimens were collected from Banchinae, Phrudinae, Ophioninae and Diplazontinae were collected.