Effect of Trap Color and Size on Relative Efficiency of Water-Pan Traps for Sampling Alate Aphids (Homoptera: Aphididae) on Potato

Laboratory and field comparisons of four different, green, horizontal, waterpan traps with each other, with yellow water-pan traps, and with suction traps currently used to monitor aphids on potato, Solanum tuberosum L., were done between 1985 and 1987 to assess their effectiveness in measuring absolute landing rates of aphids. Potato leaf traps met the greatest number of criteria for an ideal trap. The mosaic-green-tile, waterpan trap met many criteria but trapped as many species as the attractive yellow traps. Two types of green-tile traps were also attractive to aphids and did not match the reflective spectogram of potato leaves above 650 nm. Results support the theory that the level of aphid catch per unit of surface area is independent from the size of the trap when traps have color reflectance spectograms similar to the crop, but the results are in conflict with the hypothesis that it should result in unbiased sampling.