Recent Advances in Stored Product Protection by Christos G. Athanassiou & Frank H. Arthur

Author:Christos G. Athanassiou & Frank H. Arthur
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg, Berlin, Heidelberg

Grain Probe Traps

Traps for monitoring beetle populations in bulk-stored grain do not require the use of pheromones. Traps, such as grain probe traps or pitfall cone traps, are placed at or below the surface of grain masses. They capture beetles that are simply walking over or through the grain (Barak et al. 1990). The principle behind probe trap operation is that insects move through mass of grain, walk into the holes of the probe shaft, drop through the void inside the probe and are directed by a funnel into a collection vial. Grain probe and pitfall traps are important tools in detecting the presence of beetles populations in grain masses at densities lower than what can be detected by regular sampling the grain and examining for their presence. Therefore, these traps detect insects when conventional grain sampling methods fail to do so (Hagstrum et al. 1990, 1998). A most recently developed technology for monitoring insects is a probe trap equipped with an electronic device to count insects and send counts back to a computer (Shuman et al. 1996; Litzkow et al. 1997).

To determine the effectiveness of the use of attractants in probe traps (unpublished data by Navarro 1992) installed in shelled and unshelled peanuts in a pilot plant experiments, no significant differences were observed in the presence of the attractants in the probes. Also according to Phillips et al. (2000), there is some evidence suggesting that pheromones and food attractants should not be used in devices intended for monitoring insects in bulk-stored grain. Additionally, one may increase the risk of infestation from flying beetles if synthetic aggregation pheromones are installed with traps in the grain.

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