Food bait traps

Certain insects can be managed by using food baits. Bait consists of a mixture of a substance to attract the insects and an insecticide to kill them.

Often used baits are based on bran and sugar. 100 gram bran, 10 gram sugar and 200 ml water is mixed thoroughly and a small amount of insecticide is added into it.

The mixture is then distributed in the field near the threatened plants to kill insects that are attracted by the bait. The use of this type of baits is recommended against mole crickets, millipedes, cutworms, grasshoppers and locusts.

Adult fruit flies are attracted by the smell of sweet fruit pulp. Poisoned baits can be made by mixing insecticide with some fruit pulp. The bait can be placed near the plants on a small tray, which can be protected against rain by a simple “roof”.

Mango fruit juice is also used as a bait to attract fruit fly adults.

Keeping castor cake soaked in water (1 kg/5 litre of water) in small mud pots in coconut garden attracts rhinoceros beetles which can be collected and killed.

In the control of rodent pests (rats, mice) baits are regularly used. Often these are poisoned baits, but baits can also serve as a lure inside a trap.

Banana pseudo stem traps

Banana pseudo stem trap is used against banana pseudostem weevil.  The freshly cut pseudo stem is a good breeding place for weevils.

Cut pseudo stem into small pieces in lengths of up to 60 cm and split each along its length. The split pseudo stem are placed in the soil in the way that the cut portion faces the ground. The recommended number is 30 to 40 numbers (split traps) per acre.

These cut pieces (split traps) attract adult female weevils to feed and lay their eggs. As soon as the larvae emerge, these pieces become dry and eventually the larvae die because of dehydration. This split trap is mainly used to monitor the extent of infestation in the field.

The open cut side of the above pseudostem trap can be sprayed with solution of Beauveria bassiana or Metarhizium anisopliae (5 gram /liter). The weevil gets infected by the fungal spores when it enters the pseudostem trap.  This kills the insects within 72 hours.