title: Abiotic factors and trap design modulate the performance of traps used to monitor the plum curculio.
abstract: All published studies on effects of abiotic factors on plum curculio, Conotrachelus nenuphar (Hersbt), adults have taken a retrospective approach. Here, we present the results of experiments where factors and their levels were determined and controlled a priori. We compared the effectiveness of miniature pyramidal traps (45 by 20 by 20 cm) constructed of four kind of materials--wood, geotextile, nylon screening, and corrugated plastic--to monitor overwintered and summer adults of univoltine plum curculio. We also studied the effects of photoperiod, temperature, wind, and rain on pyramidal trap effectiveness. The experiments, which were replicated over time, were done in two controlled chambers that were divided into four sections, corresponding to simulated combinations (wind or no wind/rain or no rain). The temperatures tested (15, 20, and 25 degrees C) were randomly assigned in the chambers. During scotophase, geotextile traps captured significantly more overwintered and summer adults than traps made of other materials. The maximum proportion of captures (for overwintered and summer adults) during photophase was obtained at 25 degrees C, and it was significantly different than captures at 15 and 20 degrees C. During scotophase, significantly more overwintered and summer plum curculios were caught at 20 and 25 degrees C than at 15 degrees C. Our experiments demonstrated that geotextile is a good alternative to wooden pyramidal trap. Our results suggest that captures were higher 1) at night, 2) during warmer periods (20 and 25 degrees C), 3) when wind velocity was low and 4) during or shortly after rainfall, and 5) that photoperiod is a factor having an important predictive value for plum curculio captures.
authors.affiliation: Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université du Québec a Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada H3C 3P8.
authors.forename: Steve
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lamothe
authors.forename: Gérald
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Chouinard
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vincent
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001517:Coleoptera; D005260:Female; D007300:Insect Control / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D017440:Photoperiod; D027861:Prunus; D011891:Rain; D012737:Sex Factors; D013696:Temperature; D014919:Wind