Types of insect traps

a. Light traps:

• Light traps are used with or without ultraviolet light (UV) that attracts certain insect pests in a certain time.
• Light sources may include fluorescent light, light-emitting diode, etc.
• Light traps are widely used to monitor nocturnal insects, meaning night-time insects.
• They are used to monitor and manage insect pest populations and play a crucial role in physical pest control.

b. Yellow sticky traps:

• Yellow sticky traps are used to monitor the insect population in the field.
• They attract the flies and stick them to the yellow colored glue, which is monitored at regular intervals.
• Sudden increase in the number of trapped insect population is an alarm to adapt the measures for controlling the insect in the field.
• Yellow sticky traps are a common method for monitoring many pests, including aphids, whiteflies, and leafminer adults.
• Use of yellow sticky traps in seedling production areas at the rate of 1–2 traps/50–100 m can trap significant numbers of whiteflies.
• Yellow sticky traps do not require pheromones or insecticides to attract and catch the insects.
• They are drawn to the trap solely because of the colour.

c. Pheromone traps:

• Pheromone traps are an excellent monitoring tool for insect infestation.
• They enable early detection and provide information on the intensity and type of attack.
• Farmers who do not use these instruments risk yield losses and unnecessary expenditure through the arbitrary usage of pesticides.
• Pheromone traps have become an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional insecticides for pest control.
• They are used both to count insect populations by sampling, and to trap pests such as clothes moths to destroy them.

d. Extraction from soil:

• In this case, soil cores containing arthropods are placed in a screened tray at the opening of the funnel.
• A light bulb or other heating in the shroud above the sample tray heats and dries the soil core, driving out the arthropods.