Design of an Attract-and-Kill Device for the Boll Weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)²

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) was used to formulate a mixture of grandlure, feeding stimulants, and a toxicant as a toxic bait for the cotton boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis (Boheman). Field tests with the PVC formulation revealed that certain aspects of boll weevil orientation dictated placement of the bait device on vertically oriented stakes of about 12 - 24 mm diameter. A stake coating was prepared which contained natural shellac as a binder, cyfluthrin, a green pigment, and crude cottonseed oil. This coating was applied to wooden stakes, with aluminum pans underneath to facilitate counting of dead boll weevils. Bait devices prepared in this manner appeared to be very effective in killing boll weevils. Their advantage over live traps is that they are less expensive and require no service once they are deployed. They have the potential for becoming an important control method for the boll weevil, particularly in the early and late season periods.