Skip to main content
ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Maricopa, Arizona » U.S. Arid Land Agricultural Research Center » Pest Management and Biocontrol Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #256077
Title: A survey of insect populations in Capsicum chinense L. plantings in Georgetown, St. Vincent, using modified CC traps.

Author
item CIOMPERLIK, MATTHEW - Retired ARS Employee
item CHANG-CHI, CHU - Retired ARS Employee
item CARLSON, JASON - Retired ARS Employee
item RICHARDS, MARCUS - Ministry Of Agriculture, Food & Fisheries
item HENNEBERRY, THOMAS - Retired ARS Employee

Submitted to: Journal of Agriculture of the University of Puerto Rico
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/30/2009
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Various kinds of traps have been developed and used to detect and monitor the presence of insect pests in agricultural systems. The CC trap was initially designed for detection and monitoring of sweetpotato whiteflies but was found to have broader usage for other insects. The characteristics of the CC trap were evaluated as a monitoring tool for insects occurring in hot peppers in St. Vincent. The trap captured insects from a total of 69 insect taxonomic families with many captured during both the wet and dry seasons. The greatest numbers of individuals captured were from the fly families Cecidomyiidae, Chironomidae, Chloropidae and Drosophilidae; the beetle family Chrysomelidae; and the Hemiptera family Cicadellidae. The addition of an insecticide and propylene glycol as an insect preservative to the CC traps increased the number and diversity of insects caught. Additionally, propylene glycol helped to preserve the specimens for taxonomic and genetic determinations. CC traps with yellow bases attracted more insect families than traps with white or blue bases. CC traps with white or yellow trap bases were equally attractive to insects in the whitefly family Aleyrodidae as well as several fly families.

Technical Abstract: The insect populations in hot pepper, Capsicum chinense L., were surveyed in Georgetown, St. Vincent, during the 2004 wet and 2005 dry seasons. Modified white, blue, and yellow CC traps were used to capture insects in the plantings. Overall, 69 insect families were captured, 41 of which were captured during both the wet and dry seasons. During the wet season, the greatest numbers of individuals captured were from the Cecidomyiidae, Chironomidae, Chloropidae, Chrysomelidae, Cicadellidae, and Drosophilidae families. During the dry season, the greatest numbers of individuals captured were from Chrysomelidae and Cicadellidae families. The addition of dichlorvos as a killing agent and propylene glycol as an insect preservative to the CC traps increased the number and diversity of insects caught. Additionally, propylene glycol helped to preserve the specimens for taxonomic and genetic determinations. CC traps with yellow bases attracted more insect families than traps with white or blue bases. However, CC traps with blue bases caught more Lonchaeidae during both the wet and dry seasons, and more Tachinidae during the dry season. CC traps with white or yellow trap bases were equally attractive to insects in the families Aleyrodidae, Drosophilidae, Lauxaniidae, and Otitidae.