A network of over seventy 15-watt blacklight insect survey traps is deployed on participating farms in April and May of 1999 as part of the Rutgers Cooperative Extension (RCE) vegetable Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Program.  

Exact locations of blacklight traps have been established using a handheld Trimble Geoexplorer II Global Positioning System (GPS) unit (pictured at right) with 2-5 meter accuracy after differential correction.  The traps are well distributed throughout the agricultural areas of the state.  Blacklight traps are checked two times per week at three and four day intervals.  Numbers of Corn Earworm  (CEW) and European Corn Borer (ECB) in each trap were averaged for the duration of the sample.  Beginning in 2005, Beet Armyworm (BAW) pheromone traps were added to the network. Beginning in 2011, Brown Mamorated Stinkbug (BMSB) traps were added to the network as well.

The trap counts were entered into an Excel database and imported into ArcView, a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software package (ESRI, Redlands, CA) where the data were linked to the trap locations.  Weekly pest distribution maps were created and disseminated to the agricultural community via a weekly plant and pest advisory newsletter available by fax, mail, and the internet.

Blacklight Trap Distribution

Archived Weekly Pest Maps

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Project Coordinators: 
Kris Holmstrom

E-mail: holmstrom@aesop.rutgers.edu

 

Joseph Ingerson-Mahar

E-mail: mahar@aesop.rutgers.edu

Rutgers Cooperative Extension
Phone: (732) 932-9802

 

George Hamilton

Rutgers Cooperative Extension

Phone: (732) 932-9801

E-mail: hamilton@aesop.rutgers.edu