Evaluation of light attraction for the stored-product psocid, Liposcelis bostrychophila

The psocid, Liposcelis bostrychophila Badonnel (Psocoptera: Liposcelididae), is the most widespread psocid pest of stored products. Because L. bostrychophila has developed resistance to several chemical insecticides, it is important to investigate other integrated pest management (IPM) approaches, and a critical part of IPM programs is an effective monitoring program, Monitoring tools for psocids are limited, and few studies have been conducted on monitoring of psocids, with none on the attraction of lights for psocids. Therefore, we studied the response of L. bostrychophila adults to eight wavelengths of light-emitting diodes (LED) in paired-choice pitfall test. Among the LEDs evaluated, the strongest response by L. bostrychophila adults was to 351 nm UV. When LEDs were tested against brewer's yeast (the most preferred attractant for L. bostrychophila among more than 20 potential attractants found in previous studies), the 351 nm UV wavelength was the only light that attracted more psocids than brewer's yeast. These results suggest that the use of LEDs might be useful in psocid-monitoring programs for L. bostrychophila and other psocid species.