Assessment of cross-vane traps as a sampling tool for Megacopta cribraria (Hemiptera: Plataspidae) in soybean

The invasive plataspid Megacopta cribraria (Fabricius) (Hemiptera: Plataspidae) can infest soybean fields in the southeastern United States. Current sampling methods rely on beat cloths, sweep nets and visual observations of the soybean canopy. Cross-vane traps have been suggested as a useful tool for initial detection and determining relative abundance of the insect. To test whether traps can be used to estimate M. cribraria population density in soybean, trapping and sweep net sampling were conducted in soybean fields in Blackville, South Carolina in 2013, along three transects at 0, 10, 20 and 40 m from the outer field edge. Across all fields, densities averaged 2.2 adults per trap and 2.4 adults and 0.9 nymphs per 20 sweeps. Preliminary analysis of variance showed a decrease in insect count with distance from the field edge for both sweep net sampling and trapping. Further analysis and results, when coupled with M. cribraria reproductive biology studies, will provide researchers, growers, crop consultants and farm managers useful information on another possible sampling method and early detection monitor for the plataspid.