Insect traps

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David Bracey

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Insect traps
« on: December 18, 2011, 11:28:54 AM »
Marilyn the new 2012 catalogue for "Graines Baumaux" on page 262 advertises "Pieges à Pheromone, Mouche de l `olive" ie olive fly pheromone traps.  I have no idea if they work.  I suspect you will need quite a lot of pheromone (traps) to flood an outdoor space to be effective which, of course is the reason these things have not caught on. I remember commercial growers used to spray one side of the olive tree but I forget why. Maybe it has something to do with prevailing winds or effectiveness of the CHEMICAL.

Anyhow it should be worth a try. They do export. Their website is www.baumaux.com.  Let us know what happens since this is a problem for many amateur growers.
« Last Edit: January 28, 2013, 10:07:50 AM by Alisdair »
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 I have gardened in sub-tropical Florida, maritime UK, continental Europe and the Mediterranean basin, France. Of the 4 I have found that the most difficult climate for gardening is the latter.

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Marilyn

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Olive pest control
« Reply #1 on: January 04, 2012, 05:01:27 PM »
Ah! Only now seen these two replies, thanks for that. Will give both links a look.

Also, as luck would have it, I have a new colleague who has done some work experience in an organic grove in California and has come up with a few suggestions, mostly trap-based. These appear quite simple to DIY; for example a plastic bottle containing a little water and a yeast tablet as an attractant will apparently catch a fairly significant number of flies. A covering of manure or mulch, or a plant layer - oregano, creeping thyme, chamomile - is reported to help reduce the number of larvae overwintering in the ground.

Will report back with any news.
I work in hotel and private gardens, promoting sustainable landscape management in the mediterranean climate through the use of diverse, beautiful and appropriate plants. At home, I garden on two balconies containing mostly succulents.

Daisy

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Insect traps
« Reply #2 on: January 16, 2012, 10:19:35 AM »
These bugs ruined some of my roses whilst still in their pots two years ago. :o
Luckily, there were not so many around last year, but I would like to know what they are and if there is any way of mitigating their effect, if they come back in force this year.
Here they are on Cosmos peucedanifolius which they also ruined. :'(  :'(
Daisy :)


« Last Edit: January 18, 2012, 04:44:10 PM by Alisdair »
Amateur gardener, who has gardened in Surrey and Cornwall, England, but now has a tiny garden facing north west, near the coast in north east Crete. It is 300 meters above sea level. On a steep learning curve!!! Member of both MGS and RHS

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Alisdair

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Re: Definitely unwanted visitors
« Reply #3 on: January 16, 2012, 12:06:03 PM »
Daisy, I don't know these bugs myself, but I doubt if you'll be able to deal with them using a pesticide - as they feed on your flowers, any pesticide you used that dealt with them would also be toxic to beneficial pollinators.
Alisdair Aird
Gardens in SE England (Sussex); also coastal Southern Greece, and (in a very small way) South West France; MGS member (and former president); vice chairman RHS Lily Group, past chairman Cyclamen Society

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JTh

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Re: Definitely unwanted visitors
« Reply #4 on: January 16, 2012, 06:23:11 PM »
Daisy, maybe a beetle in the genus Oxythyrea ? One is called the White-spotted rose beetle (Oxythyrea funesta), but there are many other look-a-likes as well (Oxythyrea abigail, Oxythyrea cinctella, Oxythyrea noemi and Oxythyrea albopicta).
I saw something similar in Israel, in the Poleg Stream natural reserve
« Last Edit: January 16, 2012, 06:28:46 PM by JTh »
Retired veterinary surgeon by training with a PhD in parasitology,  but worked as a virologist since 1992.
Member of the MGS  since 2004. Gardening in Oslo and to a limited extent in Halkidiki, Greece.

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MikeHardman

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Re: Definitely unwanted visitors
« Reply #5 on: January 16, 2012, 08:36:11 PM »
Daisy,

To generalize, we are talking about 'pollen beetles' and 'flower chafers', terms that cover quite a range of beetles.
The pollen beetles are mainly in the Nitidulidae and Kateretidae. They are small.
The flower chafers have the general appearance of scarabs (Scarabaeidae) but are in its subfamily Cetoniinae. These are larger. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cetoniinae Your particular beetles are in this taxon.

It is not just the adults: the larvae can be found on flowers, too.
If you Google 'pollen beetles' and flower chafers', you'll find quite a lot of info to sift through regarding their control.
Syngenta make a product called Plenum, but it kills bees as well. I don't know if you will find anything that will kill or deter just the beetles - as Alisdair says.
Also, as the beetles are mobile and spasmodically prolific; I don't know if natural predators could be effective, at least on the scale of a garden. But specific ladybirds are used as biological control of some smaller pollen beetles (http://www.greenplantprotection.eu/pests/field_crops/rape/meligethes_aeneus/pollen_beetle), and wolf spiders are known to predate them - so maybe there's hope.

Do tell us what you decide to do, and if you try a remedy, keep us posted on progress!
Mike
Geologist by Uni training, IT consultant, Referee for Viola for Botanical Society of the British Isles, commissioned author and photographer on Viola for RHS (Enc. of Perennials, The Garden, The Plantsman).
I garden near Polis, Cyprus, 100m alt., on marl, but have gardened mainly in S.England

David Bracey

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Re: Definitely unwanted visitors
« Reply #6 on: January 16, 2012, 09:38:40 PM »
Daisy, your best bet is to spray after the pollinators have stopped their work ie late evening and to use Bacillus thuringiensis which is primarily active against larvae however there is a good effect against some coleoptera spp. 
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 I have gardened in sub-tropical Florida, maritime UK, continental Europe and the Mediterranean basin, France. Of the 4 I have found that the most difficult climate for gardening is the latter.

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JTh

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Re: Definitely unwanted visitors
« Reply #7 on: January 16, 2012, 09:50:57 PM »
I am pretty sure this visitor is the white-spotted rose beetle or a close relative, which, as Mike says, is belonging to the family Cetoniidae. It does not restrict itself to a pollen diet, but will attack the rest of the roses and many other plants as well. There is actually not much litterature on efficient insecticide control, but there are several references to studies on the use of bait traps, (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0261219410001353 and a recent doctoral thesis from Hungary: http://teo.elte.hu/minosites/tezis2010_angol/j_vuts.pdf), some of them using agents like lavandulol. These are not yet commercially available, so maybe you have to stick to mechanical (manual) means? which does not sound so easy.

Do you have piles of firewood in your garden? They could maybe serve as breeding ground for these beetles; there is a discussion on http://paulzimmermanroses.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=432 on beetle battle strategies that looks interesting.

Retired veterinary surgeon by training with a PhD in parasitology,  but worked as a virologist since 1992.
Member of the MGS  since 2004. Gardening in Oslo and to a limited extent in Halkidiki, Greece.

David Bracey

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Re: Definitely unwanted visitors
« Reply #8 on: January 17, 2012, 11:36:37 AM »
Dear Jth I have checked your first reference, "Science direct" where a number of baited traps were used including PH, ME and CA baits.  Unfortunately it costs $31.50 to buy the reference.  Do you know what PH stands for; possibly Pheromone bait. ? But what pheromone?
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 I have gardened in sub-tropical Florida, maritime UK, continental Europe and the Mediterranean basin, France. Of the 4 I have found that the most difficult climate for gardening is the latter.

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JTh

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Re: Definitely unwanted visitors
« Reply #9 on: January 17, 2012, 03:20:54 PM »
David, I don't know for sure either, but PH sounds as if it could be pheromone bait.
The other reference to the doctoral thesis from Hungary led me to a company called Csalmon® , which is owned by the Plant Protection Institute in Budapest, Hungary, take a look at the site: http://www.julia-nki.hu/traps/trap_design.html, which shows a lot af different traps, and a description of the various insects and which traps to be used. There is a modified funnel trap called VARb3z, which is suitable for mass trapping of O. funesta and related beetles. The z stands for the  visual attractant fluorscent yellow, these beetles are attracted by strong yellow colours, this is combined with  pheromones, but they don't describe exactly which ones they use. You can buy either baited traps, or bait alone, the traps need to be replaced every 4-6 weeks. Minimal order is two traps per species containing 2 raps, 2 baits and other accessories necessary for operation 4-6 weeks in the field, plus instructions (in English). It is also possible to order baits only, so that the traps can be used for longer periods (against the same beetles). I have no idea what the price is, but it you may ask for a quote. I have not yet had this problem in my place in Greece, but if I did, I think I would try it.
Retired veterinary surgeon by training with a PhD in parasitology,  but worked as a virologist since 1992.
Member of the MGS  since 2004. Gardening in Oslo and to a limited extent in Halkidiki, Greece.

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MikeHardman

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Re: Definitely unwanted visitors
« Reply #10 on: January 17, 2012, 10:47:49 PM »
Another possibility: maybe 'PH' bait means 'Phyllotreta bait' and Phyllotreta is often abbreviated to Ph.
Allyl isothiocyanate is used as such a bait for flea beetles (see 'Species Spectrum of Flea Beetles (Phyllotreta spp., Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) Attracted to Allyl Isothiocyanate-Baited Traps' - http://www.znaturforsch.com/ac/v62c/62c0772.pdf)
(I don't know about the ME and CA baits.)
Mike
Geologist by Uni training, IT consultant, Referee for Viola for Botanical Society of the British Isles, commissioned author and photographer on Viola for RHS (Enc. of Perennials, The Garden, The Plantsman).
I garden near Polis, Cyprus, 100m alt., on marl, but have gardened mainly in S.England

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JTh

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Re: Definitely unwanted visitors
« Reply #11 on: January 17, 2012, 11:01:42 PM »
I doubt it
Retired veterinary surgeon by training with a PhD in parasitology,  but worked as a virologist since 1992.
Member of the MGS  since 2004. Gardening in Oslo and to a limited extent in Halkidiki, Greece.

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JTh

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Re: Definitely unwanted visitors
« Reply #12 on: January 17, 2012, 11:11:31 PM »
Ph is used as an abbreviation for pheromone bait on this site: http://www.iscatech.com/exec/lures.htm, (list of abbreviations below the table).
Retired veterinary surgeon by training with a PhD in parasitology,  but worked as a virologist since 1992.
Member of the MGS  since 2004. Gardening in Oslo and to a limited extent in Halkidiki, Greece.

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MikeHardman

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Re: Definitely unwanted visitors
« Reply #13 on: January 18, 2012, 08:53:41 AM »
Jorun - that's an interesting list of pests, including citrus leaf miner, which I troubling me (kumquat, pomelo, and others yet to be planted) - thanks.
JohnJ - would you happen to know if similar pheromone traps are available in Cyprus?
Mike
Geologist by Uni training, IT consultant, Referee for Viola for Botanical Society of the British Isles, commissioned author and photographer on Viola for RHS (Enc. of Perennials, The Garden, The Plantsman).
I garden near Polis, Cyprus, 100m alt., on marl, but have gardened mainly in S.England

David Bracey

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Re: Definitely unwanted visitors
« Reply #14 on: January 18, 2012, 09:24:29 AM »
Jorun an impressive list.  I will ask them for some comparative biological data.

Their list  relies heavily on yellow traps etc which we all know is a major insect attracting colour plus various types of funnel traps all laced with a "pheromone".

They specifically recommend VARb3z for Oxythyrea.

I will let you know what happens.  D
MGS member.

 I have gardened in sub-tropical Florida, maritime UK, continental Europe and the Mediterranean basin, France. Of the 4 I have found that the most difficult climate for gardening is the latter.