How to install your pheromone delta trap for effective pest monitoring

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Insect trapping is a fundamental aspect of Integrated Pest Management (IPM), and meticulous attention to detail is essential for accurate monitoring and control. The effectiveness of your pest management program relies on using the appropriate traps, lures, and techniques tailored to each target species. Below are comprehensive guides for setting up delta traps for the specific moth species we monitor. These guidelines will help you implement effective trapping strategies in your fields or orchards.

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Species-Specific Installation Guides

Codling moths (Cydia pomonella)

European grapevine moth (Lobesia botrana)

The navel orangeworm (Amyelois transitella)

General Best Practices for Delta Traps

Before diving into species-specific instructions, it's important to understand some general principles that apply to all trapping efforts:

Pheromone Lure Handling:
- Always wear disposable gloves or use clean tools like tweezers when handling pheromone lures to prevent contamination.
- Store lures in airtight containers, preferably refrigerated, until use.
Trap Assembly:
- scoutlabs delta traps are provided flat-packed for easier transport. Unfold them to form the triangular shape.
- Insert a fresh sticky sheet inside the trap, ensuring it lays flat without wrinkles.
Lure Placement:
- Place one pheromone lure in the center of the sticky sheet. Do not place more than one lure per trap.
- Avoid touching the lure directly with your hands to prevent transferring scents that could reduce its effectiveness.
Trap Placement:
- Hang traps at the recommended height specific to each pest species for optimal attraction.
- Position traps within the crop canopy or orchard interior, away from edges to minimise non-target catches.
- Ensure traps are securely fastened to withstand weather conditions (we’ve got a great new hook that does this job really well!)
Trap Density:
- Follow the recommended number of traps per area to obtain representative ground truth data - we recommend at least 1 trap per 5 acres (that’s what we call 100% density). For some pests, the traps should be even closer to each other, but 1 in 5 is a great ratio for most of them.
- Universities recommend different trap densities per crop (most even higher than our recommended one - check more: Trap density - broken logic)
Maintenance:
- The traps are self-sufficient, capturing images daily and sending data automatically.
- Replace pheromone lures according to their field life, which varies by species.
Data Access:
- Pest data and images are accessible in real-time via the scoutlabs mobile app or web app.
- The system provides automatic notifications when pest pressure is detected.
Data Recording:
- All data is stored and analyzed by scoutlabs' AI and verified by entomologists.
- Farmers receive actionable insights without manual data entry.