Effect of Trap Color and Residual Attraction of a Pheromone Lure for Monitoring Stink Bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae)

Stink bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) are commonly monitored using pyramid traps baited with a pheromone. Initially, the pyramid traps were painted yellow and predominantly used to monitor native stink bug species. However, research studies involving the exotic Halyomorpha halys Stal (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) now use pyramid traps that are black, not yellow. As H. halys moves across the southeastern United States, the use of a single trap, yellow or black, for monitoring and conducting research studies would be beneficial. Our objective was to compare black and yellow pyramid traps baited with a lure to determine if one was superior for trapping herbivorous stink bugs. This study was conducted at four locations, three in Alabama and one in Georgia, over 2 yr. Additionally, residual efficacy of the lure was measured via trap capture over 1-mo intervals. Our results showed that only when native stink bug species were combined, and only in 1 yr, were captures significantly affected by trap color. Capture of the exotic H. halys and the most abundant native species, Euschistus servus (Say), was not significantly affected by trap color. Trap capture was significantly affected by how long a lure was in a trap. The data from this study suggests that when traps are used in conjunction with a pheromone to monitor multiple species of adult stink bugs, especially native species, the yellow pyramid trap is favored.