The Asian bedbug Halyomorpha halys it is the most harmful parasite for Italian orchards. For some years they have been developing pheromone traps to be able to capture and monitor it. These traps are a valid aid for the biological fight against this parasite, but by themselves they are not enough. In fact, once the presence of the Asian bug has been ascertained, it is necessary to carry out i samurai wasp antagonist throws. This way, you can try to keep the invasion of this in check alien insect in our garden.
However, speaking of pheromone traps, we must consider some agronomic limits, which suggest to carefully evaluate and based on the pressure of the pest, when and how to place the traps in our soils. So let’s see how to act.
How the pheromone trap works on Asian bedbugs
In general, pheromone traps exploit the sexual attraction mechanism of insects. The attractive signal is artificially reproduced to attract as many specimens of that species as possible.
In the case of the Halyomorpha halys the pheromone was identified in the USA and it is a mixture of two stereoisomers of the compound epoxy-bisabolen-ol. Its action is able to attract both the adult forms (male and female) and the nymphs. The pheromone of the bedbug is combined with a capture system, for example with colored sticker sheets or not, or pyramidal structures and nets that make it impossible for the insect to escape once trapped.
They are on sale different models, some with pheromone and clear glue sheets. The price, however, is not really accessible to everyone (for example it is much more expensive than the pheromone used for absoluta tomato suit).
How to properly use pheromone traps against the Asian bedbug
To understand how to use pheromone traps correctly it is necessary to understand in brief how the life cycle of the Asian bedbug works. The insect overwinters as an adult, often taking refuge in homes. In April or May, the adults come out of their shelters and prepare for mating and spawning which takes place between June and July. The nymphs develop in summer and new adults infest vegetable gardens and orchards until October or November. In particularly favorable climatic seasons there can be two overlapping generations.
When to use pheromone traps against Asian bedbugs?
In our opinion, the best time to place pheromone traps for bedbugs is early spring, when the wintering adults return to the fields. By intercepting the first adults, in fact, we will avoid mating and egg laying and will therefore be able to keep the bedbug population lower for the whole season.
How long does the pheromone last against bedbugs?
The sexual aggregation pheromone is an extremely volatile substance, which does not last forever, but about 12 weeks. In the beginning it is much more effective. This is the first technical limitation that these traps have, given the high unit cost of the pheromone.
After the effective time has elapsed, the pheromone and adhesive sheets must be replaced.
Where is the trap set?
The range of action of the pheromone is limited, although it is not easy to determine precisely. It is therefore necessary to place the traps as close as possible to the plants where the bugs feed, therefore the fruit trees. Moving the traps too far towards the perimeter of the field decreases the trapping potential.
In the field, it has been observed that the damage of the bug to the trees near the traps has increased, given the very attractive effect that inevitably recalls them. This is a serious agronomic limitation, as we paradoxically risk attracting more bedbugs than we normally would. This requires placing a large number of traps, with very high costs. We are told that the traps work well, too well! This, in our opinion, is why it may be more beneficial to set traps in early spring, when the bed bug population is lowest, rather than starting in the summer with high infestation levels.
Distance of the trap from the houses
Another problem is the correct distance of the traps from the houses. Especially in the fall, bedbugs try to enter the house to find a winter shelter, that’s how the invasions in Friuli in 2016. It is advisable to respect at least 30 m of distance, however there are those who may object to being so infested that they prefer to place a trap under the window of the house and eliminate as many Asian bugs as possible.
How traps are set up
Assembling bedbug pheromone traps is quite simple, as a complete kit of materials and instructions (pheromones, lanyards, adhesive sheets) is provided.
The trap is placed on a stake, such as a sturdy chestnut wood post. The recommended height to fix the bedbug pheromones and the adhesive sheet is 2m above the ground. A trick to catching more bedbugs is to put an old flannel shirt dampened with water at the base of the brace, for bedbugs it is a very attractive shelter. We do not recommend using additional glues, as bedbugs move by smell and the smell of glue could interfere with the action of the pheromone.
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