Describing Seasonal Phenology of the Leafminer <I>Phyllocnistis citrella</I> (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) with Pheromone Lures: Controlling for Lure Degradation

Abstract

Traps baited with pheromone lures were deployed in a Florida citrus grove at various dates over the course of 1 year to describe the seasonal flight phenology of the leafminer Phyllocnistis citrella Stainton. To compensate for lure degradation, a correction factor was applied based on a regression model of relative lure efficiency, expressed as a percent of the catch of a freshly deployed lure as a function of the number of days each set of lures was deployed. The regression of percent trap catch vs. number of days deployed yielded a quadratic expression that predicts 50% loss of lure attractiveness at 50 d after lure deployment and 90% loss at 137 d. The data transformed for lure degradation revealed 4 apparent population density peaks including 2 minor peaks with highest mean trap catch in early Apr and late Oct, and 2 major peaks with highest mean trap catch on 31 May and 1 Aug. A very small number of moths were collected on control traps without a lure. However, the pattern of trap catch on unbaited sticky cards closely paralleled that of the pheromone-baited traps.

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