Contech Inc.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can I use semiochemical traps to control pest insects, e.g. around mill sites containing infested logs, and avoid the use of chemical or biological pesticides?

2. If I can't control pest insects with semiochemical traps why should I consider using them?

3. How many traps should I use in a given geographical area?

4. When should I deploy traps?

5. Are there basic differences between traps?

6. Can I use more than one type of lure in a single trap to reduce trap costs?

7. How does a Lindgren funnel trap work?

8. Can I use bark beetle tree baits to move an infestation to trees of low value or for easier access?

9. When should I deploy bark beetle tree baits?

10. How do I safely dispose of used lures or tree baits?

11. Can I use semiochemical repellents to control pest insects?

1. Can I use semiochemical traps to control pest insects, e.g. around mill sites containing infested logs, and avoid the use of chemical or biological pesticides?

Beetle aggregation pheromones and host tree kairomones can attract both males and females, and therefore have the potential for effective mass trapping. For example, semiochemical-baited Lindgren traps have been successfully used to control small infestations of the Douglas-fir beetle. Our ambrosia beetle management program is a leading example of how mass-trapping can be integrated with other strategies to achieve pest control.

In most cases, mass-trapping of pest insects must be combined with other tactics such as diligent removal of trees, logs and debris that harbour the pest insects and treating critical trees you need to protect with pesticides (topical or systemic).

When using sex pheromones to capture adult moths, typically only the males are captured leaving the fertilized females unharmed to lay their eggs. It would be impractical to capture enough male moths to prevent fertilization of female moths.

2. If I can't control pest insects with semiochemical traps why should I consider using them?

Semiochemical traps are valuable tools to help monitor pest insect populations. Trap catch data can be used to determine when the adults are active. This information can help improve the timing of control efforts targeted at adults or other life stages. Trap data can also be used to compare pest activity from year to year or between different geographical locations. This can help determine when and where to focus management efforts. Catch data can also help in determining the success of management efforts by comparing catches before and after treatment.

Monitoring can extend beyond pest and quarantine surveys. Baited traps can be used to investigate biodiversity and other ecological issues.

3. How many traps should I use in a given geographical area?

Trap density is, to a great extent, dependent on the objectives of the management program. If, as in the case of western spruce budworm, you are interested in general trends over a large geographical area, trapping locations can be widely dispursed to as few as one location per county or forest jurisdiction. When traps are widely dispersed we recommend a minimum of three traps, spaced at least 50 meters apart, at each trap location. This will help minimize the inadvertant low catches due to poor site selection and make average catches be more accurate.

At the other extreme, when attempting mass-trapping of ambrosia beetles around log sorts or mills, traps can be deployed as close as 25 meters apart.

A knowledge of insect behaviour can be critical. If, as is in the case of black army cutworm, the problem is localized to recently burned land, you will want to place at least three traps per burned area and sample every one.

4. When should I deploy traps?

Deploy traps in advance of the first anticipated adult flight of the season. Most lures are designed to last at least 2 months thereby providing sufficient field life to deploy traps roughly 2 weeks in advance of the flight. Flight timing can be advanced particularly with warm winter and spring weather, so care and attention needs to be paid to ensure that earliest flights are not missed.

5. Are there basic differences between traps?

Most traps are designed to capture adult beetles or moths.

Most forest beetle traps have been designed for adults that fly but some crawling beetle traps are now available. There are two basic mechanisms to capture flying or crawling beetles. The simplest is a sticky catch surface; these traps have a relatively short field life. Durable plastic traps like the Lindgren funnel trap prevent escape by certain design features such as baffles and colours. They are reusable and, unlike sticky traps, do not saturate with captured insects.

The most popular moth traps are the sticky disposable type. However, durable plastic traps like the Unitrap are available. Like plastic beetle traps, design features prevent escape. Different moth species respond to traps differently so it is important to select the right trap for maximum performance.

6. Can I use more than one type of lure in a single trap to reduce trap costs?

This is not advised. A lure for one species may repel another target species, or will make it more difficult to analyze catches as two or more species must be separated from each other to get accurate information. Sometimes, as in the case of spruce budworms, it is a difficult and tedious process to tease the species apart.

7. How does a Lindgren Funnel Trap work?

Semiochemical attractants and the trap's shape lure the target insect to the trap. Funnels act to broadly disperse the semiochemical plume down wind. Beetles, flying up wind either collide with one of the funnels or land on an upper edge of a funnel then make the fateful move further into the trap. In both cases beetles protect their most vulnerable feature, their wings, by closing them under their elytra. Once closed the beetles cannot remain airborne and fall into the collection cup. All but the largest and most robust beetles cannot escape the cup. A baffle prevents flying up and out and most beetles orient to the white walls of the collection cup.

8. Can I use bark beetle tree baits to move an infestation to trees of low value or for easier access?

The ability to move infestations, more than a short distance, is very limited. Attacking beetles may sample every potential host along the route to the bait and the first suitable host gets attacked.

Tree baits are meant to contain beetles in the vicinity of the host material from which they emerged. The beetles have an obligatory flight time or distance before they get into the host attack mode. The objective is to have them fly in circles in the vicinity instead of flying up or above the tree canopy where updrafts, crosswinds and down drafts can move the beetles great distances and spread the infestation.

9. When should I deploy bark beetle tree baits?

Tree baits have been designed for deployment as early as late winter (e.g. February) when access with snow mobiles is made easy. This also aids manpower logistics; spring and summer are very busy times for foresters and usually there is more flexibility in late winter.

10. How do I safely dispose of used lures or tree baits?

Lures and baits contain chemicals with toxicological properties similar to turpentine. As such, expired devices can be disposed of at facilities that accommodate paints and thinners. Alternatively, expired devices can be returned to Pherotech for safe disposal.

11. Can I use semiochemical repellents to control pest insects?

A limited number of semiochemical repellents have been registered as pesticides, and are available in the US and Canada. These semiochemicals are effective in an integrated pest management program, and the best effect is achieved by deploying devices in a grid pattern to create an area of repellency in and around the targeted trees. Typically this area would be at least 0.5 acre (0.2 hectare). Control can potentially be improved by using attractant traps. The repellents push the pests away and the traps pull the insects in. For protection of individual trees, repellents can be effective in improving the effect of insecticidal sprays on the bark.