Use of light traps and differing light color to investigate seasonal abundance of the date palm pest, Oryctes agamemnon arabicus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)

Abstract

Oryctes agamemnon arabicus (Fairmaire) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) is a date palm insect pest that causes damage to trunk and roots and can damage grass lawns in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and other countries such as Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Tunisia. The goal of this study was to monitor population dynamics and to evaluate six light colors (white, green, red, yellow, blue, and infrared) and two lamp types (mercury and energy-saving) in light traps. Experiments were performed on a date palm farm during a 2 yr period (2010 and 2011). It was found that this insect is a univoltine pest with a single population peak. Adults appeared in the field around middle of April and early May and the population continued to build until maximum numbers were reached in mid June. No adults were found after the end of September. Photoperiod showed a significant correlation with the changes in adult population size. White light emitted from mercury lamps attracted significantly more O. agamemnon arabicus adults compared with the other tested light colors. Increasing the wattage of mercury lamps from 160 to 250 watt did not significantly increase the number of collected insects. The results demonstrated that light traps equipped with 160-watt mercury lamps emitting white light collected significantly the highest number of this insect among the other tested lamps.