Automated Pheromone Traps Show Male Pink Bollworm (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) Mating Response Is Dependent on Weather Conditions

Abstract

The mating response of male pink bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders), based on time of capture, was monitored in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) with an automated pheromone trap. Weather parameters were recorded automatically at the same trapping site. Data were accumulated and transmitted via an infrared telemetry link to a base-station computer located on farm property. The collected data were accessed and downloaded via a telephone modem. As the growing season progressed, the time of peak trap catch gradually shifted from early in the evening to late in the evening. The time interval of male fight activity was defined widely both early and late in the season and was defined more narrowly in midseason. The major factors affecting the number of males caught and the time of peak catch were temperature, wind speed, and time of sunset. As previously reported, wind speeds >2.5 m/s and temperatures below 20°C suppressed flight activity. The number of male moths captured was suppressed after insecticide applications and rain. A model predicting peak flight times was validated, and modifications were suggested. The results suggest that the use of automated traps that incorporate weather information would be invaluable in predicting optimal times of insecticide application for control of pink bollworm adults and, more importantly, would prevent applications at times that would be ineffective.