Effect of Trap Design and Size of Hexalure Dispensers on Catches of Pink Bollworm Males12

Several types of traps were baited with a synthetic sex attractant, hexalure, and were evaluated for capturing males of Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders) in cotton fields in the Imperial Valley of California. An enclosed omnidirectional trap, with a large fiat trapping surface and 8 side openings for moth entry, caught more pink bollworm males than a similar trap with 2 openings, a modified Frick trap, a modified cylindrical trap, and 2 types of cyanide traps. A 6-fold increase from the optimum trapping surface of the omnidirectional trap caused a reduction in the capture of pink bollworm males, A very low and an extremely high release of hexalure caused reduction in catches of the pink bollworm in the omnidirectional trap. About 10-fold increase in dispenser size from a planchet of 0.41 mm2 area in the modified Frick trap caused a significant increase in the capture of pink bollworm males. However, a 100-fold increase in the dispenser size of hexalure neither increased nor reduced male moth catches.