Trap selection is an important component of any trapping and monitoring program within an IPM program. Improper selection of a trap style can lead to a misrepresentation of true pest numbers in an area. This is due to the fact that pest may:

• Not be able to enter a trap to be captured because of an inability to fly or crawl into the trap because of its design. For example – using a suspended hanging trap for monitoring when your main pest is a beetle that rarely flies.
• Be able to escape the trap once it enters because of the design. For example – using a glue trap that has only a thin glue surface to try to capture rodents or large insects that can easily pull themselves from the glue once they enter the trap.

The result of both of these is a monitoring program that is not actually collecting the type of data you require.

There is no single best type of trap to use in a pest monitoring program. It is important to match the specific trap to the environmental conditions in each particular situation and to the limitations of the target pest. Some considerations include:

1. dusty vs. non-dusty area
2. hot vs. cold temperatures
3. outdoor vs. indoor use
4. crawling vs. flying insects.
5. The size or capacity of the trap may also be a factor in your choice if you plan to do mass trapping.

Before deciding on what style of trap to use, put some thought into what type of pests your facility has seen in the past. If you only have the budget for a single trap style, pick one that can capture both crawling beetles and flying moths.

In general, if you want to see what insect pests may be present in a storage or exhibit area and you have no idea of what may be there, you will want to use a simple “blunder” glue trap. The term “blunder” comes from the fact that you are not using any attractant lure and you will capture whatever insect blunders into the trap. These traps are generally paper traps that lay flat on the ground or shelf and that have a thin glue layer (1 mm or less) that will trap most insects that wander into it. Some blunder traps are only 2- 3 inches long and can be placed discreetly in exhibits to monitor these areas. This style of trap can also be used in conjunction with most moth and beetle pheromone lures or food attractant lures to monitor for specific pest species.

Not all monitoring traps incorporate glue as their trapping mechanism. Pitfall traps and funnel traps use gravity and non-friction surfaces to keep pests enclosed in the trap. Electric light traps stun or explode the pests that enter. Trapping rodent pests can incorporate another range of mechanisms such as snap traps, wind-up trigger traps and lever-style traps.

To trap rodents, a flat style trap with a thicker glue layer (2 – 4 mm) is necessary to trap the rodent without it escaping later. More humane methods such as snap traps or live traps are also available for rodents. (see the Rodent Trapping Tip sheet available on www.museumpests.net for more information)

Proper trap selection comes down to knowing what is available, testing what works and making an informed decision based on the environment and the pest. Don’t be afraid to change trap styles if the one you are currently using is not performing well.

Flat Traps
Trap Style	Image	Uses
Blunder Trap		This trap style works well to give an indication of what crawling insects are passing through an area. Not to be used as a rodent trap. Not useful in areas that collect substantial dust.
Flat Trap		Great all purpose trap for crawling and flying insects. Newly recommended trap for clothes moths when used with pheromone lures.
Rodent Glue Board		Thick glue layer can trap rodents and large insects. This trap will also capture smaller insects but not recommended for pheromones. Efficacy may decrease in areas with substantial dust.
Pitfall Trap		As beetles are attracted to a lure, they crawl on the dome shaped upper surface and will enter one of the holes. Once they fall into the trap, they cannot escape. Good for areas with dust where a blunder trap would be ineffective.
Hanging Traps
Diamond / NoSurvivor		Hanging trap to be used indoors with pheromone lures for strong-flying moths and beetles only.
Delta Trap		Hanging trap to be used indoor or outdoors with pheromone lures for strong-flying moths and beetles only. Corrugated plastic exterior helps keep out rain.
Bucket Trap		A pheromone lure hangs directly above the catch area of this trap. As moths or beetles fly to the lure, they land on the slippery surface and fall into the lower catch area.

PHEROMONE TRAP TIPS FOR COLLECTION MONITORING

What are pheromones?

Insects live in a world of odors. They use olfactory cues to direct social behavior, including mate attraction, courtship, mating, egg-laying, foraging for food, and colony defense. Pheromones are chemicals that are released by insect or other organism into the environment to communicate with others of the same species. Pheromones are the principal method of communication among insects.

Are there different types of pheromones?

Insect communication is directed by a number of different pheromones. There are two types of pheromones commonly used by stored product insects and other urban pests: sex pheromones and aggregation pheromones.

1. Sex Pheromones Sex pheromones, are nearly always produced by the female, to attract mates. These pheromones comprise specific compounds or a highly specific combination (blend) of compounds. Sex pheromones are usually produced by adults with short life spans of only a few weeks (e.g. clothes moths, cigarette beetle, Lasioderma serricorne, and warehouse beetles, Trogoderma variabile). The result of this short life span is that sex pheromones are highly active and attractive to male insects. Male insects can be so sensitive to these pheromones that only a few nanograms (1 billion nanograms = 1 gram) can result in the male searching for the female. These pheromones can be active over a long distance and can draw moths with a plume of pheromone from several hundred feet and in some cases (e.g. gypsy moths) even miles away.
2. Aggregation Pheromones
   Aggregation pheromones attract insects to locations where mating occurs and where females find egg-laying sites on favorable food substrates. Aggregation pheromones are typically released by males and attract male and female individuals. They are produced in species with long adult life spans of several months to years (like most stored food beetles). Certain compounds of some aggregation pheromones are not species specific, (e.g. Tribolium flour beetles) and there is cross-attraction, especially among closely related species (e.g. Red and Confused flour beetles). The attraction distance of these types of pheromones are also much shorter than with sex pheromones. Often the distance is measured in a few feet (< 20 feet). In most cases, foods synergize the effect of aggregation pheromones.

How do pheromone traps work?

Pheromones are extremely species specific in the way they work. It is essential to get an informed insect ID before using pheromones to attract pest species.

After a pheromone has been synthesized in a chemistry lab, it is placed into a delivery device, or lure. These devices come in various forms: rubber septa, hollow fibers, flakes, tape, laminated plastics, membranes over reservoirs, and polyethylene vials with acetate beads. The lure design should deliver the pheromone into the environment in a manner that mimics natural release rates and concentrations of the target insects. Lures vary in duration of effectiveness and distance of attraction due to differences in pheromone load and release rates. Many insects can be overpowered and repelled by too much pheromone. A controlled-release lure will allow the pheromone to be released in small enough concentration to lure the pest into the trap, but strong enough to reach out and attract them in from a useful distance.

It is important that the users of pheromones determine the shelf life, duration of pheromone release, recommended spacing of lures, production dates and general composition (e.g. blended pheromones) of the pheromone lures from the manufacturer in order to get consistent, long-term release and attraction to the lures by the insects. Cheaply made lures have very little pheromone, no control over release rates, are poorly packaged and are often found on retail store shelves for many months. Poorly made products will gather poor results. Check newly ordered products to ensure that their shelf life has not expired by the time of purchase.

Won’t I attract pests into my collections with pheromone traps?

Pheromone traps can potentially pull insects from surrounding areas so it is recommended that they be kept at least 20 feet from any door that opens to the outside. They are not recommended for areas such as loading docks or cafeterias that might be adjacent to collection storage areas. While it is possible that the traps can attract insects into the building, the use a female sex attractant ensures that any insects responding to the traps would be male. Thus you are not attracting any reproductive pair or female with eggs. Do remember that pheromone traps are species specific so they will not pull in other types of pests.

Why use pheromone traps rather than sticky traps?

Trapping is an essential part of an IPM plan to monitor insect populations and identify where they are coming from so that control measures can be implemented quickly if needed. “Attractant-baited traps are used instead of (or in addition to) other sampling methods for two major reasons:

1. These traps are very sensitive and may capture pest insects that are present at densities too low to detect with a reasonable amount of effort using other inspection methods. This attribute can be extremely important when the goal of a sampling program is to detect foreign or "exotic" pests as soon as they enter an area so that control measures can be initiated immediately.
2. Traps baited with chemical attractants capture only one species or a narrow range of species. This specificity simplifies the identification and counting of target pests. Sensitivity and specificity make attractant-baited traps efficient, labor-saving tools.” http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in080 (accessed 8/2008)

A valuable attribute that pheromone baited traps bring is the fact that they can aid in pinpointing an infestation within a large storage area. By closely monitoring trap captures and placing a higher density of traps into the areas that have the highest trap capture, they can direct you to the source of the infestation.

For what species are pheromone traps available?

Insect pheromone traps are species specific. Traps with sex pheromones for one species will not attract other species. Commercially available pheromone traps include:

• Moths
  • Almond Moth Ephestia cautella
  • Angoumois Grain Moth Sitotroga cerealella
  • Brown House Moth Hofmannophila pseudospetella
  • Casemaking Clothes Moth Tinea pellionella
  • Indian Meal Moth Plodia interpunctella
  • Mediterranean Flour Moth Ephestia kuehniella
  • Tobacco Moth Ephestia elutella
  • Webbing Clothes Moth Tineola bisselliella
  
  
• Beetles
  • Black Carpet Beetle Attagenus unicolor
  • Brown Carpet Beetle Attagenus elongatus
  • Cigarette Beetle Lasioderma serricorne
  • Hide Beetle Dermestes maculatus
  • Furniture Carpet Beetle Anthrenus flavipes
  • Guernsey Carpet Beetle Anthrenus sarnicus
  • Larger Grain Borers Rhyzopertha dominica
  • Lesser Grain Borer Prostephanus truncatus
  • Red and Confused Flour Beetles Tribolium spp.
  • Varied Carpet Beetle Anthrenus verbasci
  • Warehouse Beetle Trogoderma spp.

How long are the traps good for?

Manufacturer guidelines should be followed for lure duration. Most commercially available pheromone lures will last 8 – 12 weeks in an indoor setting.

Are pheromone traps safe for humans?

Pheromone traps are safe for human use. Follow recommended manufacturer safety guidelines and general safety practice such as washing hands after handling lures.

Aside from standard sticky traps and pheromone traps what other traps can I use to identify pest problems in my collections?

For storage area monitoring there are several other options that may be appropriate for specific problems.

• Dermestid larval monitors can be used to see if larvae are present. If you do find that larvae are present, then you know that you have a breeding population within the storeroom. The larvae are not good enough travelers to come in from the outside. Generally, the source of the larvae will be within a 10 foot radius from where you find them in the larval monitors.
• Light traps placed so that the UV light is directed away from any textiles and not shining out of any window can give you lots of info relatively quickly. These can be particularly effective with native carpet beetles which are attracted to light and often found near windows.

Some suggested supplies to keep handy for monitoring include:

• Sticky traps
• General insect food pheromones
• A light source (e.g. LED flashlight)
• Tweezers
• Small polyethylene zip-loc baggies
• Small plastic or glass vials with lids
• Magnifier (e.g. loupe, or hand-held lens)
• Small brush
• Pencil
• Indelible marker 
• Pest log book
• Pest identification sheets
• Carrying case