Visual modelling can optimise sticky trap design for simultaneous monitoring of multiple species of insect pests

Abstract Coloured sticky traps are commonly used to monitor insect pests. Colour affects trap performance, with preferred colours often differing between species, making selection of trap colour for effective management of multiple pests challenging. Greenhouse whitefly (GWF) Trialeurodes vaporarior...

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Main Authors: Natalie S. Roberts, Jean Claude Ndayiragije, Tuğçe Özek, Tariq M. Butt, İsmail Karaca, Farooq Shah, William L. Allen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-05-01
Series:Scientific Reports
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-01954-8
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author Natalie S. Roberts
Jean Claude Ndayiragije
Tuğçe Özek
Tariq M. Butt
İsmail Karaca
Farooq Shah
William L. Allen
author_facet Natalie S. Roberts
Jean Claude Ndayiragije
Tuğçe Özek
Tariq M. Butt
İsmail Karaca
Farooq Shah
William L. Allen
author_sort Natalie S. Roberts
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Coloured sticky traps are commonly used to monitor insect pests. Colour affects trap performance, with preferred colours often differing between species, making selection of trap colour for effective management of multiple pests challenging. Greenhouse whitefly (GWF) Trialeurodes vaporariorum and Western flower thrips (WFT) Frankliniella occidentalis, are major horticultural pests that often co-occur. Yellow colours are attractive to GWF, while blue is often used to target WFT, although WFT are also attracted to yellow colours. The visual mechanisms that make yellow colours attractive to either species are poorly understood. Previous experiments in WFT find that visual modelling of an opponent mechanism between short wavelength sensitive (SWS) and long wavelength sensitive (LWS) photoreceptors optimises the performance of blue sticky traps. In the current study, we assess whether an opponent response that highly stimulates LWS relative to SWS photoreceptors predicts the attractiveness of yellow sticky cards to both WFT and GWF. Our results showed that yellow sticky cards that maximize a predicted SWS:LWS opponent mechanism improves capture for both species. Further, optimising the SWS:LWS ratio allowed for simultaneous monitoring of both pest species using single colour cards. We also showed that sticky trap colour and luminance are comparable across different lab and field contexts, highlighting the broad applicability of visual modelling in pest management strategies.
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spelling doaj-art-1c7e66be9aa84edd9347bf079f7b02e02025-08-20T02:34:14ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-05-0115111210.1038/s41598-025-01954-8Visual modelling can optimise sticky trap design for simultaneous monitoring of multiple species of insect pestsNatalie S. Roberts0Jean Claude Ndayiragije1Tuğçe Özek2Tariq M. Butt3İsmail Karaca4Farooq Shah5William L. Allen6Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea UniversityDepartment of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Isparta University of Applied SciencesDepartment of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Isparta University of Applied SciencesDepartment of Biosciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea UniversityDepartment of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Isparta University of Applied SciencesDepartment of Biosciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea UniversityDepartment of Biosciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea UniversityAbstract Coloured sticky traps are commonly used to monitor insect pests. Colour affects trap performance, with preferred colours often differing between species, making selection of trap colour for effective management of multiple pests challenging. Greenhouse whitefly (GWF) Trialeurodes vaporariorum and Western flower thrips (WFT) Frankliniella occidentalis, are major horticultural pests that often co-occur. Yellow colours are attractive to GWF, while blue is often used to target WFT, although WFT are also attracted to yellow colours. The visual mechanisms that make yellow colours attractive to either species are poorly understood. Previous experiments in WFT find that visual modelling of an opponent mechanism between short wavelength sensitive (SWS) and long wavelength sensitive (LWS) photoreceptors optimises the performance of blue sticky traps. In the current study, we assess whether an opponent response that highly stimulates LWS relative to SWS photoreceptors predicts the attractiveness of yellow sticky cards to both WFT and GWF. Our results showed that yellow sticky cards that maximize a predicted SWS:LWS opponent mechanism improves capture for both species. Further, optimising the SWS:LWS ratio allowed for simultaneous monitoring of both pest species using single colour cards. We also showed that sticky trap colour and luminance are comparable across different lab and field contexts, highlighting the broad applicability of visual modelling in pest management strategies.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-01954-8VisionIntegrated pest managementFrankliniella occidentalisTrialeurodes vaporariorumThripsWhitefly
spellingShingle Natalie S. Roberts
Jean Claude Ndayiragije
Tuğçe Özek
Tariq M. Butt
İsmail Karaca
Farooq Shah
William L. Allen
Visual modelling can optimise sticky trap design for simultaneous monitoring of multiple species of insect pests
Scientific Reports
Vision
Integrated pest management
Frankliniella occidentalis
Trialeurodes vaporariorum
Thrips
Whitefly
title Visual modelling can optimise sticky trap design for simultaneous monitoring of multiple species of insect pests
title_full Visual modelling can optimise sticky trap design for simultaneous monitoring of multiple species of insect pests
title_fullStr Visual modelling can optimise sticky trap design for simultaneous monitoring of multiple species of insect pests
title_full_unstemmed Visual modelling can optimise sticky trap design for simultaneous monitoring of multiple species of insect pests
title_short Visual modelling can optimise sticky trap design for simultaneous monitoring of multiple species of insect pests
title_sort visual modelling can optimise sticky trap design for simultaneous monitoring of multiple species of insect pests
topic Vision
Integrated pest management
Frankliniella occidentalis
Trialeurodes vaporariorum
Thrips
Whitefly
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-01954-8
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