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A New Trap for Capturing Boll Weevils 



J. E. Leggett and W. H. Cross i/ 



Recently, a summary of the most efficient trap designs for capturing boll weevils 

 ( Anthonomus grand is Boheman) was published in USDA Coop. Econ. Ins. Rpt . 21(21): 

 367-368, 1971. Since then a new nonsticky trap, called the Leggett trap after 

 its principal designer, has generally captured more boll weevils than any other 

 trap design tested. The design of the new trap (Fig. 1) was based on a trap 

 designed and previously tested by the senior author at Tallulah, Louisiana, 

 following the suggestion by C. F. Rainwater (Entomology Research Division, 

 Beltsville, Maryland) that a nonsticky trap was badly needed to replace the 

 standard sticky wing trap. Similar trap designs had, also, been suggested ear- 

 lier by E. B. Mitchell of this laboratory and by D. G. Bottrell (Tex. Agr . Expt . 

 Sta. , Lubbock) . 



The trap is constructed from a floral liner (papier-mache material) 11.5 in. 

 high originally suggested by D. Whittam (Plant Protection, Hyattsville, Maryland) 

 for constructing a sticky trap. In the nonsticky version the inverted floral 

 liner is painted first with a white undercoat, then with daylight fluorescent 

 Saturn Yellow (Day-Glo® £/ Color Corporation), and finally with a clear acrylic 

 lacquer for waterproofing and to prevent fading of the Saturn Yellow. 



The floral liner is capped with a screen cone held just off the liner with glass 

 beads or other spacers with a small hole in the apex of the cone which opens 

 into a 2-in.'^ plastic box (or similar device) (Fig. 2). A grandlure wick 

 (Hardee, et al. J. Econ. Ent . , in press, 1971) is pinned to the top of the 

 floral liner inside the screened cone. 



The complete trap is mounted on a stake 3 to 4 ft. above the ground by inserting 

 a nail through the top of the liner into a predrilled hole in the stake. 



Boll weevils attracted by the grandlure land on the Saturn Yellow floral liner 

 and crawl up under the lip of the screen cone. In "their urgency to continue 

 crawling upward they bypass the grandlure wick and become trapped in the box at 

 the top of the screen cone. Weevils may be captured and kept alive or they may 

 be killed with a small cube of Vapona® No-Pest strip placed in the box. In 

 servicing large numbers of such traps the box and cone assembly at the top can 

 be exchanged quickly and weevils counted in the laboratory. One trap should 

 last one season. An obvious advantage of this trap over sticky traps is its 

 high degree of selectivity for boll weevils. Often less than 1% of the total 

 catch consists of other insects while the sticky traps soon are covered with all 

 kinds of insects, necessitating periodic cleaning of the trap so that boll 

 weevils may be captured and noted. 



See illustrations on next page, 



1/ Entomology Research Division, ARS , U.S. Dept . Agr. Assistance of F. J. 



Benci in preparation of the figures is acknowledged. 

 2/ Trade names used in this article are solely for the purpose of providing 



specific information. This does not constitute a guarantee or warranty 



of the product by the U.S. Department of Agriculture over other products 



not mentioned. 



