WeevilsAttra®
A chafer trap baited with beneficial nematodes for attracting and killing adult vine weevils
Adult vine weevil trap, WeevilsAttra®, is a unique way of controlling adult vine weevils (otiorhynchus sulcatus). WeevilsAttra® is a specially designed wooden board which contains 2.5 million entomopathogenic nematodes, (steinernema carpocapsae) and lure, to attract and kill adult vine weevils.
The adult weevils hide during the day under the trap, then become infected with the nematodes and die within a few days. Traps can be placed around container-grown and hedging plants in a garden.
Description
- WeevilsAttra® consists of a specially-designed wooden board, that has three grooves – filled with a special gel containing beneficial nematodes, that attracts and kills the adults
- Each trap controls adult beetles in a 10 sqm area or 5m of hedging.
- Traps are effective for approximately 6 weeks
- Wooden boards are placed face down onto the ground beneath the plants or the top of the pot where adults can be found. The gel swells up after absorbing water creating a ‘cushion’ of gel under the board in contact with the soil or compost
- The nematodes in the gel then infect the adult beetles and kill them
- WeevilsAttra® traps can be used from the beginning of May until mid-October. The nematodes in the trap are the most effective between 14 and 28°C.
- WeevilsAttra® is a perfect partner to use alongside the NemaTrident®CT Plus or NemaTrident®H for the control of vine weevil larvae that damage various plant roots.
- Water the ground before placing the board if the soil is dry, and then ensure that the board is kept moist – rain or normal hose pipe watering is usually enough.
- Used WeevilsAttra® trap can be disposed of just like any waste wood.
WeevilsAttra® targets the common behaviours of adult vine weevils alongside a lure in a three-step process:
1) Lure attracts the adult vine weevil to shelter during the day, waiting for dusk when they are most active
2) As the adult shelters under a ‘cushion’ of gel, nematodes are released, attracted and penetrate the weevil via natural openings
3) The nematodes will release a deadly bacterium, killing the weevil in two to three days and preventing any reproductive potential thereafter.
- Helps keep down vine weevil populations
- Reduces vine weevil damage
- Safe for beneficial insects
