The Comparison of Yellow Cylindrical, Flat and Water Traps, and of Johnson Suction Traps, for Sampling Aphids

Abstract

Different traps were compared to find the type most suitable for studying aphid vectors of plant viruses quantitatively.A Moericke water trap caught more aphids than a flat sticky trap of equal area. A flat sticky trap (930 sq. cm.) caught half as many aphids as a cylindrical trap (945 sq. cm.), which caught about one‐third as many as a water trap (1200 sq. cm.) or a Johnson suction trap (9 in. fan) when operated at between 2 and 3 ft. over bare soil.Yellow traps caught proportionally more Tuberculoides annulatus, and in summer more Capitophorus species than a suction trap, but significantly fewer Anoecia corni, Sitobium spp. and Pemphigus bursarius. Traps with a level surface caught proportionally more Brevicoryne brassicae, Aphis fabae and Myzus persicae, but fewer Anoecia corni and Drepanosiphum plantanoides than vertical cylindical traps. Attraction by colour influences the catch on horizontal traps more than on cylindrical traps because there is less impaction by the wind.Only suction traps indicate the number of aphids per unit volume of air and are non‐selective, but they are expensive and require an electric power supply. Water traps effectively catch those aphids that are attracted to yellow, but they require frequent attention. Sticky traps catch fewer aphids than either suction or water traps, but they can be left unattended for about 2 weeks. Flat sticky traps catch aphids likely to land on a crop, and cylindrical traps show when aphids are in the air, but not if those aphids are able or wanting to land. For routine work cylindrical sticky traps have other advantages; they are cheap and do not require skilled handling, and their catches of alate Myzus persicae have been correlated with the spread of some plant viruses.

Visual ecology of aphids—a critical review on the role of colours in host finding

“…Certain species, including R. padi and Sitobion avenae, were found to be under-represented in yellow water traps, compared to suction traps (Eastop 1955;Heathcote 1957;Karl 1991;Boiteau 1990). Because such suction traps do not require an active movement of the animal towards the trap, they can be seen as a non-selective neutral reference, against which catches from traps involving attraction can be compared.…”

Visual Cues and Host-Plant Preference of the Bird Cherry-Oat Aphid,Rhopalosiphum padi(Hemiptera: Aphididae)

“…Agricultural studies are generally performed with the summer morph that colonizes herbaceous plants, such as crops, and reproduces parthenogenetically. Heteroecious species that feed on secondary herbaceous plants during summer tend to have a greater sensitivity for brighter colours such as yellow (Eastop 1955;Heathcote 1957;Kennedy et al 1961). Furthermore, autumn and summer morphs of aphids display morphological and behavioural differences (Leather & Dixon 1982;Leather et al 1983;Simon et al 1991).…”

“…choice of trap colour and colour intensities for aphid monitoring and use of light reflectance to manage aphid-transmitted plant viruses (Döring & Chittka 2007). Many aphid species preferentially respond to yellow targets, and yellow traps are frequently used for aphid monitoring (Broadbent 1948;Heathcote 1957). However, yellow does not attract all aphid species to the same degree.…”

Comparisons Between Alate Aphids Caught in Υellow Water Traps and Aphid Populations on Tomato Plants

“…Each kind of trap has advantages and disadvantages. As Heathcote (1957) reported, only suction traps are non -se lective and indicate the number of aphids per unit volume of air. However, they need an electric power supply for their operation.…”