Entomologia Generalis (2019) 39, 347-351

Anjali Km. Prasad, Somnath Roy, Suzanne Neave, Ankur Jyoti Sarma, Pranjal Jyoti Phukan, Azizur Rahman, Narayanannair Muraleedharan and Ananda Mukhopadhyay (2019)
Sticky bands as effective tools to manage looper pests (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) in tea crops
Entomologia Generalis 39 (3-4), 347-351
Abstract: Looper stages of geometrid moths such as Biston suppressaria, Hyposidra talaca and H. infixaria are among the most destructive pests of tea in the Himalayan foothills and plains of northeast India. Geometrid moths typically lay their eggs in cracks of rough barked shade-trees in tea plantations. In a novel approach to disrupt egg laying and prevent neonate loopers from migrating upward to the canopy, trunks of shade trees were partially covered with bands of polythene sheets covered with a sticky material called "Hot Melt Pressure Sensitive Adhesive". The efficacy of this method was compared with another control method, light trapping, in terms of number of geometrid moth catches. The results of the capture experiments showed contrasting sex-bias: The light traps caught significantly more males than females in two experimental locations, whereas the opposite trend was observed for the sticky traps. Cost calculations show that employing sticky band traps compared to light traps is more cost effective. The sticky band traps are also more practical to adopt, and do not require power supply or trap structures. This study demonstrates that sticky band traps are effective eco-friendly device for management of looper pest in tea plantations, particularly when compared with the other physical methods of light trapping. However, the combination of both sticky band traps and light traps could strengthen plant protection under IPM program, hence help preventing population built-up of loopers, especially in bio-organic tea plantations.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
pheromones/attractants/traps
control - general

---

Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Hyposidra talaca	Tea (Camellia sinensis)	India
	Hyposidra infixaria	Tea (Camellia sinensis)	India
	Biston suppressaria	Tea (Camellia sinensis)	India