Insect traps are the environment-friendly and cheaper approach for insect pest control. The unnecessary excess use of chemical pesticides increases the input cost of the crop and causes damage to the soil health as well as the human health. Chemicals should not be used unless the insects cause economic damage.

Traps are used for mass trapping, killing and for monitoring of insects. By monitoring the number of insects in different parts of the field, we can decide the best time to spray the pesticides, also some specific areas may be marked where the chemical spray is required rather than the complete field.

Insects are attracted towards a particular pheromone, colour, light, food or a cosy shelter. Based on the attractants used insect traps are of different types.

Pheromone traps

Pheromone traps are used for insects which release pheromones for communication. Pheromones may be released to attract their partners for mating (sex pheromones), to alarm other insects from a danger, to give direction and to aggregate themselves. In the crops where larva causes the damage, the sex pheromones are highly effective.In a Pheromone trap, a lure or a female sex pheromone on rubber septa is used to attract the male insects.

The male insects are trapped and the females outside are prevented from mating and laying eggs. Pheromones can be synthesized artificially and are available for many insects like Tobacco caterpillar, Brinjal fruit and shoot borer, Diamond Back moth, Beet armyworm, Legume pod borer, Cabbage leaf roller, Cabbage moth, Pea moth, Potato moth etc.

Alarm and aggregation pheromones can be used for mass trapping as both male and female insects get trapped for example Weevils.

Light traps

Light traps are good for insects which come out during night and are attracted towards light. Light source may be UV light, fluorescent lamps, mercury vapour lamps, Light emission diodes etc.These are used against flying insects like army worm, bugs, leaf hoppers, plant hoppers, stem borers etc.

Pitfall traps

Pitfall traps are used against the insects which crawl on the ground for example Ground beetles. Small pits are made by digging the soil and a small container having some water and detergent is buried in it with its mouth open. The crawling insects fall into it and can’t come out.

Bait traps

Bait traps are used against insects which are attracted towards a particular food. In case of fruit flies which are attracted to the smell of rotten or spoiled fruit, plastic bottles with small holes are partly filled with apple cider vinegar or some cattle urine, rotten fruit flesh or a dead fish with some detergent and hung on the trees. Flies come in the jars/ bottles and can’t go out.

Sticky traps

Sticky traps take the advantage of colour liked by the insects. The coloured cards are coated with some adhesive and hung in different parts of the field, yellow cards for aphids and leaf hoppers, blue cards for thrips and yellow orange cards for white flies