Using Nutrient Solutions to Trap the Almond Moth (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) in a Peanut Shelling and Storage Facility

The almond moth, Ephestia (Cadra) cautella (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), is an important insect pest in agricultural product processing and storage facilities worldwide, including peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) shelling and storage facilities. We compared the efficacy of nutrient-based solutions as attractants with commercially-available synthetic pheromone traps in controlling almond moth. The treatments were water, 10% honey, 10% beer, and 10% sucrose solutions, pheromone trap in a 3.8-L container, pheromone trap in an empty 3.8-L container, an empty 3.8-L container, and a suspended pheromone trap. The honey solution and pheromone trap in the container trapped the greatest number of moths among the 8 treatments. The pheromone trap in the container trapped significantly more moths than the suspended pheromone trap. We demonstrated that E. cautella adults preferred a 10% honey solution over water, 10% beer, or 10% sucrose solutions as attractants. Although the 10% honey solution and the pheromone trap in the container trapped the same number of moths, 70.5% of the moths captured by the honey solution were females and only 21.7% of the moths captured by the pheromone trap in the container were females. A diluted (10%) honey solution could be used in effective and economical traps for E. cautella control in storage facilities because it attracts a high percentage of females.