Alternative strategies of control of striped cucumber beetle, Acalymma vittatum, with mass trapping in cucumber greenhouses

Abstract: The striped cucumber beetle (SCB), Acalymma vittatum (F.), (Coleoptera,
Chrysomelidae) is the most damaging pest in cucumber greenhouses in Quebec, mainly because it carries the bacteria responsible for bacterial wilt infection [Erwinia tracheiphila (Smith)]. There is no method available to producers in greenhouse to mitigate the impacts of the disease, except to control beetle populations by screens and hand removal, which is not efficient all the time. A strategy that could remove the SCB before they reach the plants could significantly reduce the damage by this pest. The objective of this study was to develop a mass trapping strategy with attractive lures to reduce the abundance and damage on cucumber plants in greenhouses. Attractive lures for mass trapping of SCB have been tried in olfactometry experiments, and in greenhouses between 2020 and 2022. Five different compounds were tried in olfactometry experiments and compared to Blue Hubbard and cucumber plants. Two commercial lures demonstrated higher attraction of SCB (TRE 8276 and KPL). Different number of traps (1, 2 or 4) were compared in experimental greenhouses and captures were higher with four traps per greenhouse. The commercial lure TRE 8276 was tried in three commercial greenhouses, with significant reduction in SCB abundance, damage, and bacterial wilt on cucumber plants around sticky traps with lures. The strategy of mass trapping is promising for the control of SCB and further experiments are needed to confirm its efficiency in larger greenhouses.