A COMPARISON OF TRAPS AND STEM TAP SAMPLING FOR MONITORING ADULT ASIAN CITRUS PSYLLID (HEMIPTERA: PSYLLIDAE) IN CITRUS

Studies were conducted at 2 different field sites to compare yellow sticky card traps, blue sticky card traps, Multi-Lure traps, and CC traps (red, blue, black, white, yellow, and dark green bases) for monitoring adult Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama, in citrus. The Multi-Lure and CC traps were charged with either ethylene glycol or a dichlorvos kill strip to kill psyllids entering the trap. We also investigated a stem tapping method for monitoring adult D. citri. Yellow sticky card traps captured significantly more adults than blue sticky card traps over a 4-week period in one study but not the other. Over all sample weeks, each of these traps captured significantly greater numbers of adults than any of the other traps. Yellow and blue sticky traps were equally effective in detecting the presence of adults in trees given the infestation levels present at the 2 study sites. The CC and Multi-Lure traps captured so few adult psyllids and provided such poor detection of trees infested by adults that they appeared to have no value for monitoring D. citri. Tap sampling was easy to conduct and provided relatively good detection of trees infested by adults given the infestation levels present at the 2 groves. An advantage to stem tap sampling over sticky trap sampling is that tap sampling provides information on the presence and relative abundance of adult D. citri during a single visit to a block of trees while sticky trap sampling requires 2 visits. Research to develop standard protocols for sticky trap and stem tap sampling for adult D. citri in citrus would be advantageous.