Several companies within Australia supply pheromone lures and/or trapping equipment, including:
Which pheromones do you need?
- Monitoring pulses and canola in dryland cropping areas = only H. punctigera (native budworm) required.
- Cropping area that is in proximity to irrigated summer cropping that may be hosting H. armigera. = both H. punctigera and H. armigera (cotton bollworm) traps are relevant.
Lures have an effective field life of 6 weeks. Three lures should be sufficient for the spring trapping period (September – November).
Technical brochures on trapping (Entosol):
- Helicoverpa punctigera (170 kB PDF)
- Helicoverpa armigera (170 kB PDF)
Watch a video on how to set up pheromone traps at the Beatsheet YouTube channel.
View an online map of the Helicoverpa trap network catches.
Examining the moths
To look at insects found in the field more closely, hand-held microscopes are extremely useful. These microscopes also allow you to take high quality photographs that can then be mailed/messaged.
There are currently two types of these microscopes available in Australia. The Dino-lite type which must be connected to a computer or tablet by USB, and the wireless versions that can be linked to tablet or smartphone. Both start at around $150 per device.
Example of commercial formulations of NPV for helicoverpa control include:
Helicoverpa larva in chickpea killed by NPV
