Pangaeus bilieatus (Hemiptera: Cydnidae) Behavioral Response to Light-Based Stimuli in the Laboratory

Peanut burrower bug, Pangaeus bilineatus (Say) (Hemiptera: Cydnidae), is a subterranean hemipteran pest of peanut, Arachis hypogaea L., in the southeastern United States. Light traps and pitfall traps are the only tools currently available for monitoring the insect’s populations in the field. Optimizing light traps by using the most attractive light source for the pest while minimizing nontarget capture would enhance trap efficacy and could provide a more useful tool for integrated pest management. We evaluated the responses of male and female adult P. bilineatus to various wavelengths of light in a laboratory-based, two-choice bioassay. White compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs (warm, bright, and white) attracted significantly more males and females than black CFL and black light-emitting diode bulbs. White CFL wavelengths attracted significantly more male and female adults in the laboratory and should be candidate bulbs to enhance P. bilineatus light trap efficacy in the field.