Flight T bait trap Container

Flight T bait trap Container by Pritham D'Souza Metal Farmer

From Flight T bait trap by PCI

The flight T bait trap container introduced by PCI is a strong and durable container

Using Yellow sticky traps in controlling insects

Yellow Sticky Traps in Hydroponics and Field - By Pritham "metal farmer" Dsouza

One of the most damaging insect pests seen on crops like Egg plants (brinjal), chilli, capsicum, tomato & leafy vegetables like amaranthus, spinach etc is the pesky white fly.

these white flies are very small & in most cases appear like flying power or dust when the plant is shaken or when watering is done. the chemical treatment is using systemic insecticides like dimethoate & malathion, which is simply toxic & very labour intensive.

a very simple method is by using sticky traps as seen below.

for the above trap, i took discarded cornflakes box & flattened them. then using scissors, i cut out the required amount of yellow plastic sheet (easily available in the market) and stapled it to the cardboard box as seen.

then using a gun tacker i stapled it to a long stick as shown.

making it sticky : i then added 1 tiny spoon of used vegetable oil, and smeared the entire yellow sheet both front and back and planted it firmly in my brinjal garden.

the next day, i could see thousands of tiny white spots all spread over the sticky trap. (click on photo to enlarge)


my first impression was , it could have been dust. but on a closer look, it turned out to be the pesky white fly which got caught in the sticky trap & choked to death.(click on photo to enlarge)

the above pic shows an area of about 2 sq inches. (click on photo to enlarge)

why yellow plastic is used? - thats because insects have a special liking to the color yellow. it distracts them from the main plants & turns their attention to a nice big bright yellow death trap, kinda the same effect a light bulb has on night moths & night insects.
since the surface is sticky, the tiny feet & wings get & they die due to suffocation on the oily surface.
This is by far the best method in controlling white flies. its safe, non toxic, chemical & pesticide free & the yellow plastic sheet can be used for upto a month.

it can be re used by washing the sticky trap with soap water, and following the same methods as suggested above.

all content and photos by Pritham Dsouza

pheromone traps for rhino beetle & red palm weevil

damaged coconut tree

Rhinoceros beetle Oryctes rhinoceros and Red palm weevil Rhynchophorus ferrugineus are 2 serious pests which account for over 60 percent damage & death to trees if their population is not checked.

Rhino beetle

These are big , black & heavily scaled insects, with a horn on its head giving it a rhino like appearance. They have wings & can fly. The adults bore the spathe & fronds which are tender and unopened. After opening of the spathe, one can see clear geometric cuts which will result in wilting of the inflorescence. The adults lay their eggs in fresh decaying manures and the larvae look like large prawns. Also when the base of the coconut roots are congested with excess mulch, it provides good conditions for the adults to lay the eggs in. the population peaks from june till September end.

Red Palm Weevil

These are orange red in color but not as large as the rhino beetle. Here presence of holes on the crown, stem, bole region can be noticed often with the oozing of a viscous liquid. Normally when the crown region is infected, wilting of the spindle can be noticed & results in slow death of the plant. Serious problem affecting farmers in coastal belt.

Trapping methods

pheromone lure with bucket

The pheromone bait is the most effective method in controlling the pests.

The principle is the same as mentioned in the previous post. Specialized buckets with 3 of 4 holes are made so that the pest can enter . the lure is suspended inside the bucket and water is added in the buckets. The bait buckets are placed at sites in the farm, where infestation is seen most.

red palm weevil seen on top & weekly catch including the black rhino beetles
after a week the water is checked for the catch & re filled to prevent mosquitoes from breeding.
Photos and content by Pritham 'Heavy metal farmer' denzil dsouza

Pheromone traps for cucurbits

Indiscriminate use of chemical pesticides has done more harm than good in recent times. The toxic residue found in vegetables these days have reached alarming proportions. Therefore an alternate to using harmful chemicals was needed. The use of pheromone traps in controlling the most destructive Daucus dorsalis and Cucurbitae flies in gourds has been beneficial to farmers both in terms of cost effectiveness & zero chemical usage.

a typical pheromone trap

Following are the methods in the use of pheromone traps

ITEMS NEEDED

· Pheromone lure provided by the horticulture expert

· Bait buckets with openings and cover

· Sugar solution and pure water

· Rope to tie

· Pole or support to hang the bucket

The lures can sometimes come in 3 forms. Either in the form of a lure plug, or liquid in small plastic sachets, or solid embedded with pheromone in plastic sachets.

PROCEDURE

Open the protective cover of the pheromone lure, & place them in the specialized buckets provided to catch the pest.

The bucket must be filled with water & sugar solution to half its full capacity making sure that the lure does not come into contact with the water

trap bait bucket suspended using support

The cover of the bucket has a hook to which the lure is suspended.

The bucket is placed at strategic points in the vegetable field, or where pest incidence is highest.

The bucket can be tied to a movable pole with rope or can be suspended in the air , or at times can be kept at ground level in case of gourds whose vines run on land ex. Pumpkins, ash gourds, bottle gourds etc

pest of cucurbits

dorsalis has a sting which it uses to bore the tender fruits. cucurbitae does not have sting

Results can be seen in a few hours or sometimes even in a few minutes.

The pheromones attract the pest, which enters the bucket thru the openings. Once it enters, it is highly attracted to the lure & will spend hours trying to figure out a way to get inside it.

Tired and intoxicated, the insect then gives up the effort & falls to the water below. Death to the insect is caused by drowning.

pest attracted to another type of lure. pheromone plug

Some pheromones are pre treated with certain chemicals which intoxicate the pests when it comes in contact. The intoxicated insect falls in the water & drowns.

The water in the buckets must be discarded & fresh water must be added every week. This is done to prevent the water from becoming a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Also the under side of the bucket cover becomes hosts to spiders & even that must be cleaned.

the pest attracted to lure

This is the most effective method to control large areas of vegetable patches & requires absolutely no usage of harmful chemicals. Each pheromone trap can cover up to 2 acres & the effectiveness of the lure lasts for approximately 2 to 4 months.

The pheromone lures should not be subject to high temperatures or the effectiveness is greatly reduced. In such places, shade must be provided to the lures.

click link below to watch the video below. press the play button

Photos and content by Pritham 'Heavy metal farmer' denzil dsouza