Attractive Baits for the Capture of Metamasius spp. (COLEOPTERA: CURCULIONIDAE) In The Commercial Planting of Heliconias

Abstract

Within the context of the management of weeds in tropical flowers, current analysis (1) verified the occurrence (%) of Coleoptera, underscoring Metamasius Horn (Curculionidae) in the planting of heliconias; (2) evaluated the food attractiveness and pheromone in the capture of adult insects; (3) observed and reported the occurrence of natural enemies. Sixteen PET traps were placed in a heliconia commercial area (14º 33’S; 39º 19’W; 142 m) in Uruçuca BA Brazil. The following treatments were employed as baits: sugarcane stalks (T1), sugarcane stalk + pheromone (RMD-1®) (T2), pseudo-stem of heliconias (T3) and pseudo-stem of heliconias + pheromone (RMD-1®) (T4). The insects were removed fortnightly from the traps and the food baits were replaced; change of pheromone occurred every sixty days. The highest number of insects was captured in traps with sugarcane stalks + pheromone and in sugarcane stalks. The species Metamasius hemipterus (L.), M. canalipes (Gyllenhal), M. distortus (Gemminger & Harold) and M. bisbisignatus (Gyllenhal) were identified. Metamasius adults were infected with entomopathogenic fungi and specimens of Histeridae (Hololepta Payk and Omalodes Erichson), which prey on larvae, were captured. Traps with only attractive baits consisting of sugarcane stalks are a low-cost alternative for the massive capture of insects in areas with heliconias.