SELECTIVITY OF WHITEFLY TRAPS IN COTTON FOR ERETMOCERUS-EREMICUS (HYMENOPTERA, APHELINIDAE), A NATIVE PARASITOID OF BEMISIA-ARGENTIFOLII (HOMOPTERA, ALEYRODIDAE)

Yellow sticky traps are widely used for monitoring and management of w hiteflies and certain other pests and have also been used to monitor t heir natural enemy activity. A new, nonsticky whitefly trap (CC trap), standard yellow sticky cards, and clear colorless sticky cards were e valuated in cotton (Gossypium. hirsutum L.) to compare their attractiv eness to Eretmocerus eremicus Rose and Zolnerowich, an aphelinid paras itoid of Bemisia argentifolii Bellows & Perring [= Bemisia tabaci (Gen nadius) B-strain] that is indigenous to southwestern U.S. deserts. The CC traps caught an average of 264 adult whiteflies during 24-h test p eriods compared with 523 adult whiteflies on yellow sticky traps. The colorless sticky cards trapped only 37 whiteflies per card during the same period. The CC traps caught an average of 0.4 adult E, eremicus o ver a 24-h period compared with 26.6 adult E. eremicus trapped by yell ow sticky cards. Colorless plastic sticky cards trapped an average of 1.1 parasitoids per card, demonstrating that E. eremicus was strongly attracted to the yellow sticky cards. Thirty-nine percent of E. eremic us trapped on yellow sticky cards and 42% trapped on colorless sticky cards were female. CC traps caught the lowest numbers of other arthrop ods. On average, <1 individual of any other species was captured per C C trap in each 24-h period. Yellow sticky traps caught the greatest nu mber of other arthropods; these included thrips, flies, cotton leafper forator (Buccalatrix thurberiella Busck) moths, small beetles, and oth er parasitic wasps. Clear sticky traps caught a similar mixture of spe cies but in lower numbers. These results demonstrate that CC traps are highly selective for whitefly, while preserving parasitoid population s. CC traps may be especially useful in greenhouses where yellow stick y traps are frequently used in conjunction with releases of parasitoid s.