Comparative Effectiveness of Sticky Red Spheres and Pherocon® Am Standard Traps1for Monitoring Apple Maggot Flies2in Commercial Orchards

Abstract

In 16 commercial apple orchards in Massachusetts in 1978, unbaited, sticky-coated, 8.5-cm, dark red wooden spheres captured apple maggot flies, Rhagoletis pomonella (Walsh), at consistently earlier dates and in consistently greater weekly (and total) numbers than did Pherocon® AM Standard pre-baited yellow rectangle traps. Furthermore, maggot fly captures on the spheres were much. more highly correlated with percent of maggot injury to fruit at harvest than were captures on the Pherocon traps. Finally, the spheres were more selective and less costly than the Pherocon traps.