Use of Baited Pitfall Traps for Monitoring Pales Weevil, Hylobius Pales (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Abstract

Pitfall traps baited with ethanol and turpentine serve as an effective tool for monitoring pales weevil (Hylobius pales) populations. Males and females are equally attracted to this bait. Neither component alone showed any attractiveness. The presence of a pine stem for weevil feeding does not affect the number or sex ratio of captured weevils. The potential of using attraction to baited traps as a sampling method for pales weevil is discussed. The pales weevil, Hylobius pales (Herbst), is a major pest of young pine plantations throughout eastern North America (Lynch 1984). The larvae feed in the roots of pine stumps and adults damage seedlings by girdling the tender stems at the base. A related species, the large pine weevil, Hylobius abietis (L.), has been collected in pitfall traps baited with ethanol and turpentine in Scandinavia (Tilles et al. 1986 a,b). We conducted trapping studies during the summer of 1987 to determine if this method could be used to monitor H. pales populations in infested stands.