Effectiveness and Selectivity of Sex Pheromone Lures and Traps for Monitoring Fall Armyworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Adults in Connecticut Sweet Corn

Abstract

Four commercially available sex pheromone lures and four trap designs were evaluated for effectiveness, utility, and target specificity in monitoring adults of the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith). Traps baited with the Terochem lure (Raylo Chemicals) captured significantly more fall armyworm moths than those containing any of the other lures tested. Trap design did not significantly affect the magnitude of fall armyworm moth capture. Trap design, however, was more influential than the choice of pheromone lure in the capture of nontarget moths and stinging Hymenoptera. The Scentry Heliothis traps (Scentry, Inc.) captured significantly more nontarget moths and stinging Hymenoptera than any of the others tested. Servicing time and cost were also greatest for the Scentry traps. Results of this study indicate that either the Multi-pher Trap (Bio-Controle Services) or International Pheromones Moth Trap (International Pheromones Systems) (canister-type traps) baited with the Terochem lure provide a more effective, more durable, more easily serviced, more target specific, and less expensive fall armyworm monitoring trap than those formerly used.