Modification of assembly of Pherocon~R IC traps speeds trap liner changes and reduces in-fieldpreparation time

摘要

The restructuring of the design of an existing trap such as the Pherocon~R IC (Trécé Inc., Adair, Oklahoma) can be fraught with the dangers of changing a de facto standard in research. However, what we present here is not a restructuring but a simplification and acceleration of the process for changing the traps' liners (sticky bottoms). The assembly of components for the standard Pherocon IC traps is basically straightforward; however, it is time-consuming and may be messy and cumbersome when attaching or replacing trap liners. For a number of years, we have assembled IC traps without the provided tube spacer; instead, we have bent the suspension/assembly wire into a shape that gives the same consistent spacing between the trap top and liner butallows faster (Table 1) and cleaner replacement of the liner. Our method allows us to assemble the traps in the laboratory without the liner and perform final assembly in the field, where the traps are marked and baited and liners are added quickly; subsequent liner replacements are clean and fast. Further, there is no fouling of the sticky surface with dust or other debris during transport, nor do the liners cover field vehicles or workers with glue. We have examined airflow around and through the traps in a laboratory wind tunnel and have observed no differences between smoke plumes emanating from traps assembled according to the manufacturer's methods and those described here. The turbulence generated by the traps appears to be induced exclusively by the sides and tapered tops and bottoms. Thus we do not expect any change in trapping efficiency with these modifications, and any that might occur would likely be masked by variations we see in all our field experiments that are likely induced by various field and atmospheric factors.