Population fluctuations of the pistachio twig borer, Kermania pistaciella Amsel, 1964 (Lep.: Oinophylidae) using delta pheromone trap

Abstract

Population fluctuations of adult insects of pistachio twig borer, Kermania pistaciella Amsel were studied using delta pheromone traps and sampling from 2016-2017 in Kashan pistachio orchards. Delta type traps baited with sex pheromones were hung in pistachio orchards (‘Akbari’) at 20 lures per one hectare and the numbers of captured male insects were counted every three days. Kermania pistaciella males have begun to attract the traps from 18th March and 8th April in the first and second year, respectively and this trend continued to 31st April and 4th May and flight period of about 42 days in the first year and the second year that lasted 27 days. First, peak and end of each catch insects occurred on 18 March, 8-21 April and 31 April in the first year and on 8 March, 23-26 April and 4 May in the second year, respectively. There was no association in the first year and a weak positive association in the second year of study between the average daily temperature and the number of K. pistaciella moths captured in pheromone traps. It seems that moths capture was different because of the weather conditions of these orchards was different in two consecutive years.

Keywords

• pistachio
• Kermania pistaciella
• population fluctuations
• pheromone trap
• parasitoid