Estimating Field Populations of Tobacco Budworm Moths 1 from Pheromone Trap Catches 23

Abstract

A method is presented for estimating the relative density of tobacco budworm, Heliothis Virescens (F.), field populations from pheromone trap catches. Pheromone traps were found to be sensitive to low densities of tobacco budworm males. Early-season catches from these traps can be used to estimate field populations. Increasing densities of native females late in the season cause difficulty in estimating density accurately because of competition between native females and traps.