Response of some beneficial insect species to colored sticky traps in citrus

Colored sticky traps have been commonly used for the sampling of detrimental insect species worldwide. However, there is no information about the catches of non-target insects such as predaceous and pollinating insects by colored traps. In this study, trials with colored sticky traps (white, yellow, blue and green) in mandarin cv Okitsu (Satsuma) trees were carried out during 2011 and 2012 in Adana Province, Turkey. Colored plates were hung, at about 1.7 m above ground level, from the exterior canopy of the selected trees and were positioned to the four cardinal directions. A total of 15 beneficial insect species were captured on various colored plates. Yellow and green traps were more attractive to the coccinellid, Oenopia conglobata (L., 1758), than the other colored traps. Significantly more of the predaceous hoverfly, Episyrphus balteatus (De Geer, 1776) and the honey bee, Apis mellifera L., 1758 were obtained on white traps. Green and blue traps were the least attractive to A. mellifera. The yellow, blue and green traps hung on the west side of the trees captured significantly more beneficial insects, but white traps hung on the south sides of outer branches trapped considerable numbers of E. balteatus and 0. conglobata. White and yellow sticky traps may provide more ecological data for beneficial insects.