Determining the effectiveness of different light and color trap types against the Palomena prasina (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae)

Palomena prasina is prevalent in nearly all hazelnut production areas. The damage caused by this pest includes empty and grey-black nuts, shriveled kernels, and necrotic tissues. It has been reported that hazelnut-exporting companies have expressed concerns regarding internal damage caused by this species—particularly staining—highlighting the need for effective control measures. Determining the most effective time to control this pest and designing effective traps for mass trapping are important in pest control. In this study, three trap types—light, pyramid, and cross-wing—were evaluated. Eight color variants were evaluated for cross-wing traps, while pyramid traps were evaluated only in yellow. The study was carried out in four stages in Kayagüney (Atakum District) and city centre (Çarşamba District), Samsun Province.In the cross-wing trap setup, traps of the same color were spaced 15 m apart, whereas traps of different colors were spaced 5 m apart; pyramid and light traps were spaced at 15 m intervals. All traps were controled to approximately every 10 days from the first week of May to the first week of October in 2021 and 2022. The first adults were captured in May, with highest trapping intensity in the last week of May in the Çarşamba (city centre) district and the last week of June in the Atakum (Kayaguney) district.Yellow, white, and green cross-wing traps demonstrated promising potential for the monitoring and control of P. prasina in both districts.