Yellow Sticky Traps

duajones · March 2, 2007

In reading about them, I have decided to try them as a preventative measure this season. I kind of like the yellow party cup inverted on a pole and smeared with vaseline. A friend has a container of tanglefoot that he isnt using and I thought I may use it instead of vaseline. My question is concerning placement of the traps. Do you put them real close to the plants or further away to try and keep the critters from infecting your plants?

**Patrina_Pepperina** · March 2, 2007

I found that traps further away catch them, and so do those placed closer to the flowers. The ones I put further away were attached to stakes at the corner of the garden beds, but I also placed sticky traps on the stakes of plants in containers that were spread around the yard (not every plant, about every 3-4 plants). some I tied closer to the plants and others I tied at the top of stakes thinking it would save moving the traps up as the plants grew.

I caught the most insects on the traps that were closest to the growing tops of the plants, so I think that they must also be attracted by smell, not just to the yellow colour. The only inconvenience was remembering to move those traps further up the stakes as the plants grew

PP

blatanna · March 2, 2007

I never use these yellow sticky traps. They catch too many insects and creatures that are beneficial to the plants.

**Patrina_Pepperina** · March 2, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by blatanna

I never use these yellow sticky traps. They catch too many insects and creatures that are beneficial to the plants.

That might depend on your area of course. You need to do the best you can. I will definitely use them again next year because this year I ran out of traps and I lost 99% of my plants and crop to TSWV spread by thrips. I never want another year like this!

PP

shelleybean · March 2, 2007

I was in the same boat as Patrina last year. It was awful. I actually cried and my husband thought I'd lost my mind to be crying over tomatoes. Anyway, if there's a chance that a cheap sticky trap will work, I'm trying it. As Patrina said, I never want another year like that.

wilderness1989 · March 2, 2007

They tell me if you don't have the beatles do not put up the traps as it might attract them. But if you already have them arriving put up the traps to catch as many as you can. They talked on Illinois Gardener (PBS TV show) that the ground here has as much as 17" of frost and that could possibly kill the beetle grubs....let's hope so. The neighbors 1/4 mile away had them about eat up everything. But at our house I only found a couple and had no plant damage.

shelleybean · March 2, 2007

We had a colder than average winter here and I hated every second of it, especially because we didn't even get any real snow, but the whole time I kept thinking that if it was killing those nasty little thrips, then good!

MsCowpea · March 12, 2007

I have to agree with blatanna on this one.

I had TSWV and it is a dreadful disease so you get desperate.

I tried yellow cards and then blue as I read that blue is better for thrips but I will have to find the link on that one. (They are attracted to the yellow but more so to blue.) Whitefly are more attracted to yellow so if you have both the recommendation is to use yellow. After trying it I finally decided to use neither.

I had access to a microscope at work and the yellow card was covered with insects (much to my delight) but NO thrips. Decided I was killing harmless insects and possibly beneficial insects.

I would get a 10X hand lens to see if you are catching what you think you are. (Much like those useless bug zappers that are electrocuting everything but female mosquitos that bite.)

If you see thrips on the cards let me know and I will reconsider and give it another go. My problem is I have gotten TSWV but see very few thrips on the tomato plants.

TZ-OH6 · February 23, 2008

Hi All,

As regards to the yellow plastic cups spread with tree-Tangle Foot vs. commercial sticky cards, the Tangle Foot is far better. We had a major infestation (of biblical proportions-LOL) of white flies in a greenhouse of malnuorished research plants (not tomatoes). Both cups and cards were placed on stakes in the pots of the infested plants. When the plants were bumped the swarms of flies went directly to both more or less equally, but a noticable (shocking) percentage of flies bounced off of the cards without getting stuck!. Not so with the TangleFoot. At the end of the season/study the cards were pretty dry-useless, but the cups were still gooey so I lined them up along the walls of the GH on the narrow shelf-like side beams. They stayed gooey/active for a couple of years even though they were sprayed with the hose regularly etc. I really don't think sticky traps can stop a problem once it has happened because the bugs don't seem to leave a leaf for a yellow surface en mass unless disturbed but the traps may help delay a problem from starting by attracting the first incoming flies of the season. This is another place where long term goop on a plastic cup may be better than short term goop on a paper card.

As an aside, the teaching collection in that university greenhouse (mostly orchids) was well nourished and did not attract the white flies, so in some instances fertilizing/addressing nutrient deficiencies may help the problem as much as spraying and traps.

Hope this helps.

TZ

Note: I quickly learned to use disposable gloves and a disposable plastic knive when buttering the cups with TF. The stuff does not wash off easily.

kktwahoo · February 23, 2008

TZ,

Where do I buy this Tangle foot stuff?

Thanks.

TZ-OH6 · February 24, 2008

I think I bought it on line, but since then I have seen it in occasionally in Home Depots/garden centers/nurseries. If you are in an agricultural area check out feed stores and farmers supply stores. Or stay at home and order it on line. I remember that the site I bought it from sold organic pesticides and animal repelents (fox urine to repel deer?) etc.

Its a very old product... the basis for the original paper strip fly tape.

March 2, 2007	#1
duajones Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Corpus Christi,Texas Z9 Posts: 1,996	Yellow Sticky Traps In reading about them, I have decided to try them as a preventative measure this season. I kind of like the yellow party cup inverted on a pole and smeared with vaseline. A friend has a container of tanglefoot that he isnt using and I thought I may use it instead of vaseline. My question is concerning placement of the traps. Do you put them real close to the plants or further away to try and keep the critters from infecting your plants?

March 2, 2007	#2
Patrina_Pepperina Cross Hemisphere Dwarf Project™ Moderator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: New South Wales, Australia Posts: 3,094	I found that traps further away catch them, and so do those placed closer to the flowers. The ones I put further away were attached to stakes at the corner of the garden beds, but I also placed sticky traps on the stakes of plants in containers that were spread around the yard (not every plant, about every 3-4 plants). some I tied closer to the plants and others I tied at the top of stakes thinking it would save moving the traps up as the plants grew. I caught the most insects on the traps that were closest to the growing tops of the plants, so I think that they must also be attracted by smell, not just to the yellow colour. The only inconvenience was remembering to move those traps further up the stakes as the plants grew PP __________________ Truth is colourful, not just black and white. PP: 2005

March 2, 2007	#3
blatanna Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Ireland Posts: 150	yelloe sticky traps I never use these yellow sticky traps. They catch too many insects and creatures that are beneficial to the plants. __________________ Blatanna

March 2, 2007	#5
shelleybean Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Virginia Beach Posts: 2,648	I was in the same boat as Patrina last year. It was awful. I actually cried and my husband thought I'd lost my mind to be crying over tomatoes. Anyway, if there's a chance that a cheap sticky trap will work, I'm trying it. As Patrina said, I never want another year like that. __________________ Michele

March 2, 2007	#6
wilderness1989 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: 5b - Effingham, Illinois Posts: 59	They tell me if you don't have the beatles do not put up the traps as it might attract them. But if you already have them arriving put up the traps to catch as many as you can. They talked on Illinois Gardener (PBS TV show) that the ground here has as much as 17" of frost and that could possibly kill the beetle grubs....let's hope so. The neighbors 1/4 mile away had them about eat up everything. But at our house I only found a couple and had no plant damage. __________________ I'm from the government and I'm here to help you. ;-)

March 12, 2007	#8
MsCowpea Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: S. FLorida / Zone 10 Posts: 369	I have to agree with blatanna on this one. I had TSWV and it is a dreadful disease so you get desperate. I tried yellow cards and then blue as I read that blue is better for thrips but I will have to find the link on that one. (They are attracted to the yellow but more so to blue.) Whitefly are more attracted to yellow so if you have both the recommendation is to use yellow. After trying it I finally decided to use neither. I had access to a microscope at work and the yellow card was covered with insects (much to my delight) but NO thrips. Decided I was killing harmless insects and possibly beneficial insects. I would get a 10X hand lens to see if you are catching what you think you are. (Much like those useless bug zappers that are electrocuting everything but female mosquitos that bite.) If you see thrips on the cards let me know and I will reconsider and give it another go. My problem is I have gotten TSWV but see very few thrips on the tomato plants. __________________ "When we kill off the natural enemies of a pest we inherit their work." Carl Huffaker

February 23, 2008	#9
TZ-OH6 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Mid-Ohio Posts: 850	Hi All, As regards to the yellow plastic cups spread with tree-Tangle Foot vs. commercial sticky cards, the Tangle Foot is far better. We had a major infestation (of biblical proportions-LOL) of white flies in a greenhouse of malnuorished research plants (not tomatoes). Both cups and cards were placed on stakes in the pots of the infested plants. When the plants were bumped the swarms of flies went directly to both more or less equally, but a noticable (shocking) percentage of flies bounced off of the cards without getting stuck!. Not so with the TangleFoot. At the end of the season/study the cards were pretty dry-useless, but the cups were still gooey so I lined them up along the walls of the GH on the narrow shelf-like side beams. They stayed gooey/active for a couple of years even though they were sprayed with the hose regularly etc. I really don't think sticky traps can stop a problem once it has happened because the bugs don't seem to leave a leaf for a yellow surface en mass unless disturbed but the traps may help delay a problem from starting by attracting the first incoming flies of the season. This is another place where long term goop on a plastic cup may be better than short term goop on a paper card. As an aside, the teaching collection in that university greenhouse (mostly orchids) was well nourished and did not attract the white flies, so in some instances fertilizing/addressing nutrient deficiencies may help the problem as much as spraying and traps. Hope this helps. TZ Note: I quickly learned to use disposable gloves and a disposable plastic knive when buttering the cups with TF. The stuff does not wash off easily.

February 23, 2008	#10
kktwahoo Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Wahoo, Nebraska Posts: 132	TZ, Where do I buy this Tangle foot stuff? Thanks. __________________ Kent & Kathy, near Wahoo, Nebraska "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." From In Defense of Food, by Michael Pollan

February 24, 2008	#11
TZ-OH6 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Mid-Ohio Posts: 850	I think I bought it on line, but since then I have seen it in occasionally in Home Depots/garden centers/nurseries. If you are in an agricultural area check out feed stores and farmers supply stores. Or stay at home and order it on line. I remember that the site I bought it from sold organic pesticides and animal repelents (fox urine to repel deer?) etc. Its a very old product... the basis for the original paper strip fly tape.