A newly developed LED (light emitting diode) trap for the West Indian sweet potato weevil, Euscepes postfasciatus (Fairmaire) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Abstract

We confirmed positive phototactic responses of the West Indian sweet potato weevil, Euscepes postfasciatus (Fairmaire) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) to red, yellow, green, and blue rays of a LED (light emitting diode) in the laboratory. We examined a trap baited with sweet potato roots and the LED sources for attraction of the weevils in a sweet potato field. Except for red LED, the sweet potato root traps with the yellow, green or blue LED captured significantly more weevils than that without the LED source in the field. Furthermore, we developed a new LED trap without sweet potato roots, and confirmed that the trap was applicable for efficient capture of weevils in a mature sweet potato field.