An Economical Liquid Bait for Insecticide Formulation -
Jeffrey A. Lockwood1, Narisu2, Scott P. Schell2, and Dale R. Lockwood3
1 Association for Applied Acridology, International
Entomology Section,
Department of Renewable Resources,
University of Wyoming,
Laramie, Wyoming 82071-3354
2 Entomology Section,
Department of Renewable Resources,
University of Wyoming,
Laramie, Wyoming 82071-3354
3 Dept. of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology,
University of California,
One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616
Short title: Canola oil as grasshopper bait
ABSTRACT
Micro-, meso-, and macro-scale experiments demonstrated that canola oil is an attractant
of rangeland grasshoppers and a viable insecticide carrier. In laboratory-based micro-scale
tests, olfactometry revealed a significant, positive chemotaxis of Melanoplus sanguinipes
in response to a canola and olive oil mixture. Field-based, micro-scale tests with
airbrush applications of 5 ml of canola oil (equivalent to 500 liter per ha) to centers
of aluminum rings (0.1 m²) increased grasshopper densities by 4-fold after 1 h. Applications
of canola oil (10 and 100 µl; equivalent to 1 and 10 liter per ha) with the same technique
increased the grasshopper density by 3- to 5-fold from 1 to 24 h after application.
Meso-scale tests using fluorescent powder for mark-release-resight/recapture of grasshoppers
showed applications of 1 and 10 liter of canola oil per ha significantly increased
grasshopper densities in treated sites over a period of 36 h.
A macro-scale aerial application of 1 liter per ha of canola oil applied in alternating
30 m treated and untreated swaths demonstrated that attraction of rangeland grasshoppers
started 1 d after the treatment, peaked after 3 d, and gradually declined from 7 to
21 d. Late instar nymphs and adults of rangeland pest species of Gomphocerinae and
Melanoplinae were strongly attracted to treated strips. Grasshopper density across
the treated plot (both within and between swaths) was higher than in the untreated
plot for 21 d after the application. Macro-scale aerial applications of carbaryl formulated
in canola oil (120 g per ha of Sevin XLR in 237 ml of canola oil) showed that this
carrier increased grasshopper mortality by 24 to 85%, at 7 to 21 d after treatment,
relative to a water-based application. These findings suggest that this carrier could
markedly enhance the efficacy of insecticides in grasshopper control programs.
Key words: semiochemical, target specificity, pest management, formulation, reduced
agent/area treatments
The entire report will soon be available online.
Available as:
Corresponding author:
University of Wyoming PhD Dissertation
Jeffrey A. Lockwood
For Submission to:
Entomology Section
International Journal of Pest Management
Department of Renewable Resources
University of Wyoming
Laramie, Wyoming 82071-3354
Phone (307) 766-4260
Fax (307) 766-5025
Email: lockwood@uwyo.edu
The University of Wyoming has earned its Research Level 1 (R1) status from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, placing Wyoming's only four-year university with the top research universities in the United States.