 Hello, my name is Jan Knodl. I'm the Extension Entomologist for North Dakota State University. Pheromone traps baited with sex pheromones are important tools for monitoring insect pests in pest survey programs and integrated pest management programs. Sex pheromones are typically emitted by the female moth to attract the male moth for mating. Many of the pheromones have been identified for insect pests and are commercially available for pest monitoring. Pheromone traps can be used to detect early migrants that come up from the southern states, such as sunflower moth and sunflower and diamondback moth and canola. We also use pheromone traps for monitoring pest populations densities and also to define areas of infestation. In some instances, we can use pheromone traps to make management decisions, such as action thresholds. In this video, we will describe effective pheromone trapping and lure handling and also how to place your trap properly in the field. We will use banded sunflower moth and sunflower and birth armyworm and canola as examples. There are several different trap designs for various insect pests. The banded sunflower moth uses this wing styled pheromone trap with a sticky trap bottom that captures the insects. The birth armyworm uses a unibucket style of pheromone trap. Pheromone traps are typically placed close to the field edge for easy access for monitoring. When you place the trap in the field, make sure the entryways to the trap are not blocked with vegetation. You also want to place the trap on the windward side of the field so the pheromone is dissipated into the field. Wooded edges are not good trap sites because the pheromones will not dissipate over the field. If more than one trap is being placed at a field site, traps should be spaced at least 60 to 120 feet apart to avoid possible pheromone interference. The chemicals on the pheromone lures are real sensitive to high temperatures, so we recommend that you store the lures in the freezer. Keep them separated by each different insect. When you're ready to go to the field, take only the lures you need out. And place the lure in the cooler. And remember to put an ice pack in to keep the lure cold. And also your rubber gloves that you will need for handling the lure. Since vehicles can heat up quickly in the summer, use a small cooler with an ice pack to transfer the lures to the field. We recommend that you contact the pheromone manufacturer for the recommended interval of lure replacement in the field. For proper trap maintenance, we recommend that you service the trap at least once a week. This will prevent the trap from being overloaded with the targeted insect and make insect identification easier. To change the trap for the banded sunfire moth, we recommend that you just remove the old bottom and you can count the number of banded sunfire moths and record them on your trapping form. And then put in a new trap bottom. Before I fasten this bottom up, I'm going to change the lure. To change the lure, you need to wear rubber gloves so the oil from your skin does not contaminate the pheromone lure, which would interfere with the chemicals of the lure. So remove the old lure from the lure holder and get the new lure out and place the new lure into the holder. Put the old lure into the packet and then continue replacing the trap bottom because you want to avoid getting any of the chemical from the pheromone on the trap which might cause the targeted insect to be attracted to other areas of the trap rather than getting captured inside the trap bottom. When servicing the trap, be careful not to leave your gloves that you used for changing the pheromone lure or the pheromone lure in the old wrapper near the trap site because this could attract the targeted insect away from your trap. Now we're in the canola field and we're going to service the birth army worm trap. I have my gloves on ready to go to change the pheromone lure. The lure is contained in this upper basket in the trap. This is the old lure, the new lure which I removed from my cooler. The new lure out and you can just place the old lure back into the old wrapper. Put the new lure in and then snap it back onto the trap top. Remove your gloves before handling the trap to avoid the insect from being confused with pheromone lure on the outside of the trap. The moths are attracted to the pheromone and they'll fly into the trap and get down into the bottom of the trap where they become captured. And I've placed two red vipona strips which contains insecticide that kills the moths once they get down into the lower bucket. You can then place the moths that were captured from the previous week into a plastic bag. Take them back to the lab for identification and counting. And then put the trap bottom back on and you're ready for another trap week. When you're setting up the birth army worm pheromone trap be sure you put a little tie here to fasten it to the post so the trap does not swing in the wind. Information to record during each visit is shown in the sample field data sheet for pheromone trapping. Trap catches can also be graphed over time to easily show seasonal and year to year trends. Trap data from pheromone trapping networks can be mapped geographically using GPS coordinates illustrating pest populations across regions as shown in the Bandit Sunflower Moth map. I hope you enjoyed learning how to use pheromone traps for effective pest monitoring. Pheromone traps are relatively inexpensive, easy to use, and species specific. They make ideal tools of integrated pest management programs. Thanks and have a good day.