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Changes in the recovery of insects in pitfall traps associated with the age of cow dung bait fresh or frozen at the time of placement

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 December 2020

G.A. Bezanson Open the ORCID record for G.A. Bezanson [Opens in a new window] ,
C.D. Dovell  and
K.D. Floate Open the ORCID record for K.D. Floate [Opens in a new window]
G.A. Bezanson
Affiliation:
Lethbridge Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 5403 1st Avenue S., Lethbridge, ABT1J 4B1, Canada Department of Biological Sciences, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Drive W., Lethbridge, ABT1K 3M4, Canada
C.D. Dovell
Affiliation:
Lethbridge Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 5403 1st Avenue S., Lethbridge, ABT1J 4B1, Canada Department of Biological Sciences, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Drive W., Lethbridge, ABT1K 3M4, Canada
K.D. Floate*
Affiliation:
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Drive W., Lethbridge, ABT1K 3M4, Canada
*
Author for correspondence: K.D. Floate, Email: Kevin.Floate@canada.ca
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Abstract

Pitfall traps baited with cattle dung are commonly used to characterize local assemblages of coprophilous insects. Baits can be made fresh or be prepared in advance and kept frozen until needed. Insect recoveries are expected to decline with the age of the bait and may be affected by the use of fresh vs. frozen baits. To assess the effect of these two factors on insect recoveries, we performed a pitfall trap experiment that was repeated in four trials spanning 2 years and two locations in southern Alberta, Canada. The experimental design allowed us to minimize the potential confounding effect of short-term weather events. For results combined across trials, baits aged >3 days were largely ineffective for attracting coprophilous species. Frozen baits attracted significantly more insects than did fresh dung for the first 3 days after placement in the field with no difference thereafter. Our findings suggest that insect recoveries in dung-baited pitfall traps can be maximized with the use of frozen baits with replacement every 3–4 days.

Keywords

Communitycoprophilousdiversity
Type
Research Paper
Information
Bulletin of Entomological Research , Volume 111 , Issue 3 , June 2021 , pp. 340 - 347
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Copyright
Copyright © Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-food, (2020). Published by Cambridge University Press

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