Efficacy of bait free pheromone trap (Electrap™) for management of red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Abstract

The Red Palm Weevil (RPW) Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is a key pest of palms that has significantly expanded its geographical range in diverse agro-ecosystems during the last three decades. Food baited pheromone (ferrugineol) traps have been widely used in both RPW surveillance and also in mass trapping programmes for over two decades. Currently RPW pheromone traps have to be serviced (change of food bait and water) at bi-weekly intervals to sustain the trapping efficiency. In area-wide RPW- Integrated Pest Management (IPM) pragrammes, trap servicing is unsustainable and also not possible due to the enhanced cost associated with this practice. In this study the comparative efficiency of the service-less dry pheromone trap (Electrap™) against the traditional food baited traps, revealed that weevil captures in both the Electrap™™ and the food baited traps (PicusanTrap™™ and the bucket trap) were statistically similar. The Electrap™ offers a sustainable service-less trapping option for RPW management, especially in areas where the trap density has to be increased due to high weevil activity.