Ahmad Hussen AL-Saoud⁽¹⁾

(1). Albustan Agricultural Establishment. P.O.Box: 16760, Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates. E-mail: alsaoudahmad@hotmail.com.

Abstract

Aggregation pheromone traps, is the main element in the control program of the red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier, in most of its distribution sites in the world.  A field trial was conducted in randomized complete block design at Al Rahba farms (UAE) during May 2009 to May 2010 to study the effect of ethyl acetate (EA) on the number of weevils captured in dark red and yellow pheromone traps. Results showed that, the red palm weevil was found all over the year, and the peak adult population trapped was during March–May. The highest catches (35.96±1.96 weevils/trap/month) were in the red traps that contains ethyl acetate, with significantly higher number of red palm weevil than yellow. The capture rates were 27.32 and 18.32 weevils/trap/month for red and yellow traps, respectively. The capture rates were 30.77 and 15.40 weevils/trap/month for traps with and without ethyl acetate, respectively. The sex ratio (male: female) was 1:2.11.

Key words: Aggregation pheromone, Ethyl Acetate, Trap color, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus.

Full paper :    Effect of Ethyl Acetate on the Number of Red Palm Weevil Rhynchophorus  ferrugineus Olivier (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)
Cached in Dark Red and Yellow Aggregation Pheromone Traps