Modification of flight-interception trap construction for catching dendrophilic insects

Abstract

   Traps for collecting entomological material are used in ecological, taxonomic and genetic studies of insects, as well as for monitoring the number of insects in plantations or agricultural lands, warehouses of forestry and agricultural products. To catch saproxylic insects without the presence of a collector, barrier-funnel modifications of flight-interception traps are used, the principle of which is based on creating an obstacle in the path of the insect, which, hitting the barrier, gets into the storage tank. Despite the simplicity of the design, various factory modifications have a number of disadvantages that limit their use. Important parameters of the barrier-funnel trap are the size and weight of the structure, the area of the working surface of the trap, as well as the diameter of the storage tank. The suggested modification offers trap strength increased by upper cross frame and lower metal ring. The differing trap plates format (A3 and A4) allows the trap to be used at different heights from the ground and in tree canopies. All these aspects of the trap design were taken into account by researcher Alexander Petrov, who has been collecting various bark beetles for over 30 years. The publication provides an original diagram and description of the design of the Petrov barrier-funnel trap, which from year to year shows maximum efficiency in collecting entomological material in various types of forest cenoses. At the same time, it has components available for use and is compact for transportation when folded, and bringing the trap into working position takes several minutes. The described modification of the trap can be used together with a light source to catch insects with positive phototaxis, as well as with the use of species-specific pheromone dispensers for selectively attracting individual species of insect pests in forest plantations.