tuta absoluta

NicolasGarcia · May 29, 2019

Hello everyone and thank you in advance.
This year I am trying to fight the tuta absoluta with pheromones in a trap, the truth is that every day I find several moths of the tuta dead. I hope they work for me throughout the season when the heats come stronger. I want to put a black raffia awning in the center of the garden so that when the temperatures reach very high, the tomato plants do not suffer, my intention is to place the mesh in a strategic point so that it only shades them in the 3 hours of more afternoon heat.
A friend who has a garden tells me that the black color attracts the tuta and I do not know if it is true.
Is it true that the black color attracts the tuta absoluta?
Thank you.
Nico

ginger2778 · May 29, 2019

Hi Nico, Tuta absoluta translates to "absolute total", and in English that doesn't seem to be a moth's name. Can you give us a scientific name? Genus and species?

ginger2778 · May 29, 2019

I just found it. A tomato leaf miner moth. I will research for you. I'll be back.

ginger2778 · May 29, 2019

Ok, the article I just read said you can use yellow sticky traps, and BT for control, and put out your pheromone traps, 25 to the hectare.
So it's attracted to yellow, not any mention of black though.
https://www.hortzone.com/blog/how-to...a-in-tomatoes/

bower · May 29, 2019

Hi Nico,
I believe I had the same moth in my greenhouse last year - first time ever I saw so much damage on little green fruit, as well as the mines in the leaves.

So I had a look in google, and there is quite a bit of research on the color of traps, with dark colors being the most attractive to the moth (black, red, blue and green),
https://popups.uliege.be/1780-4507/index.php?id=10229
although some others reported better catches with white traps.

But these are traps with pheromone usually as well (even if they are sticky).
Yellow or white traps are not recommended if beneficials are present, because it will trap them as well.
This product is black:
http://russellipm-agriculture.com/tuta-black-3/
https://www.serbios.it/en/product/tutaroll-black/
http://russellipm-agriculture.com/tuta-absoluta-3/ And this talks about using clear traps.

With regards to the black netting for shade, I don't know if they will be attracted by color alone. The position (height) of traps also made a significant difference to the catch, and relates to the plant canopy height. So they are more likely to be around your plants level, than attracted to a netting which is well above the plants, I think.

I also read about the temperature preferred by the moth - they are reproducing the most between 15 and 25 C, and produced fewer eggs at 10 C and 30 C, although the life cycle is faster as the temperature increases. The lower limit for reproduction is 8C and the upper limit is 37.3 C, but they don't reproduce as well at those temperature extremes.
So depending on your temperatures, they might be attracted to a shaded spot where the temperature is closer to optimal, but not to the shade cloth itself, I think.

https://www.researchgate.net/publica..._and_longevity

Please let us know what happens with the moth. It is not a common pest in North America but really I think it is spreading everywhere.

NicolasGarcia · May 30, 2019

Hi all.
Thank you very much for your advice, the truth, that has served me well.
Marsha, sorry for the translation of the "absolute tuta", the translator does not translate it to me, it leaves me the same name as Spanish.
My problem was, I thought that putting the awning raffia attracted the moth.
Thank you.
Nico

ginger2778 · May 30, 2019

Quote:

Originally Posted by NicolasGarcia

Hi all.
Thank you very much for your advice, the truth, that has served me well.
Marsha, sorry for the translation of the "absolute tuta", the translator does not translate it to me, it leaves me the same name as Spanish.
My problem was, I thought that putting the awning raffia attracted the moth.
Thank you.
Nico

I understood that. It's the black color you are most concerned about.
I wonder if you can spray paint it? I don't know much about raffia. Also,what I read says yellow sticky traps are very useful.

May 29, 2019	#1
NicolasGarcia Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: España Posts: 453	tuta absoluta Hello everyone and thank you in advance. This year I am trying to fight the tuta absoluta with pheromones in a trap, the truth is that every day I find several moths of the tuta dead. I hope they work for me throughout the season when the heats come stronger. I want to put a black raffia awning in the center of the garden so that when the temperatures reach very high, the tomato plants do not suffer, my intention is to place the mesh in a strategic point so that it only shades them in the 3 hours of more afternoon heat. A friend who has a garden tells me that the black color attracts the tuta and I do not know if it is true. Is it true that the black color attracts the tuta absoluta? Thank you. Nico

May 29, 2019	#2
ginger2778 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Plantation, Florida zone 10 Posts: 9,283	Hi Nico, Tuta absoluta translates to "absolute total", and in English that doesn't seem to be a moth's name. Can you give us a scientific name? Genus and species?

May 29, 2019	#5
bower Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Newfoundland, Canada Posts: 6,794	Hi Nico, I believe I had the same moth in my greenhouse last year - first time ever I saw so much damage on little green fruit, as well as the mines in the leaves. So I had a look in google, and there is quite a bit of research on the color of traps, with dark colors being the most attractive to the moth (black, red, blue and green), https://popups.uliege.be/1780-4507/index.php?id=10229 although some others reported better catches with white traps. But these are traps with pheromone usually as well (even if they are sticky). Yellow or white traps are not recommended if beneficials are present, because it will trap them as well. This product is black: http://russellipm-agriculture.com/tuta-black-3/ https://www.serbios.it/en/product/tutaroll-black/ http://russellipm-agriculture.com/tuta-absoluta-3/ And this talks about using clear traps. With regards to the black netting for shade, I don't know if they will be attracted by color alone. The position (height) of traps also made a significant difference to the catch, and relates to the plant canopy height. So they are more likely to be around your plants level, than attracted to a netting which is well above the plants, I think. I also read about the temperature preferred by the moth - they are reproducing the most between 15 and 25 C, and produced fewer eggs at 10 C and 30 C, although the life cycle is faster as the temperature increases. The lower limit for reproduction is 8C and the upper limit is 37.3 C, but they don't reproduce as well at those temperature extremes. So depending on your temperatures, they might be attracted to a shaded spot where the temperature is closer to optimal, but not to the shade cloth itself, I think. https://www.researchgate.net/publica..._and_longevity Please let us know what happens with the moth. It is not a common pest in North America but really I think it is spreading everywhere.

May 30, 2019	#6
NicolasGarcia Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: España Posts: 453	Hi all. Thank you very much for your advice, the truth, that has served me well. Marsha, sorry for the translation of the "absolute tuta", the translator does not translate it to me, it leaves me the same name as Spanish. My problem was, I thought that putting the awning raffia attracted the moth. Thank you. Nico