Research Reports: Trap for Capturing and Retaining Rhynchophorus Cruentatus(Coleoptera: Curculionidae) Adults Using Sabal Palmetto as Bait

Abstract

Freshly felled cabbage palmettos, Sabal palmetto (Walter), were attractive to Rhynchophorus cruentatus (Fabricius) adults for at least 35 d. Chopped S. palmetto crown tissue placed in 19-liter plastic buckets attracted weevils, but for less than 35 d. Captured weevils did not always remain in the harborage of chopped tissue and were able to escape from uncovered buckets. Baffles constructed from 5 cm long polyvinyl chloride tubes glued together longitudinally and placed over bucket openings effectively prevented escape of R. cruentatus adults. Buckets covered by baffles and baited with S. palmetto tissue were effective at trapping and preventing escape of weevils. Using this trap design, we determined in laboratory and field assays that S. palmetto crown tissue is most attractive to R. cruentatus adults within 72 h after harvest from a healthy tree. The optimal time for collection and analysis of volatile compounds from palm tissue which are attractive to weevils appeared to be 24-72 h after palm harvest. The trap described here has several potential applications for the biological study, detection, and management of Rhynchophorus spp.