Modification of assembly of Pherocon® IC traps speeds trap liner changes and reduces in-field preparation time

Abstract

The restructuring of the design of an existing trap such as the Pherocon® IC (Trécé Inc., Adair, Oklahoma) can be fraught with the dangers of changing a de facto standard in research. However, what we present here is not a restructuring but a simplification and acceleration of the process for changing the traps' liners (sticky bottoms). The assembly of components for the standard Pherocon IC traps is basically straightforward; however, it is time-consuming and may be messy and cumbersome when attaching or replacing trap liners. For a number of years, we have assembled IC traps without the provided tube spacer; instead, we have bent the suspension/assembly wire into a shape that gives the same consistent spacing between the trap top and liner but allows faster (Table 1) and cleaner replacement of the liner. Our method allows us to assemble the traps in the laboratory without the liner and perform final assembly in the field, where the traps are marked and baited and liners are added quickly; subsequent liner replacements are clean and fast.