BEHAVIOR
Are Sweetpotato Weevils (Coleoptera: Brentidae) Differentially
Attracted to Certain Colors?
NIRUPA GADI1 AND G.V.P. REDDY2,3
Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 107(1): 274Ð278 (2014); DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1603/AN13135
ABSTRACT The sweetpotato weevil Cylas formicarius (F.) (Coleoptera: Brentidae) is one of the
most serious insects causing damage to sweetpotatoes in the world. Small populations of these insects
can cause severe damage to tubers of the crop. Without proper and effective control, weevil
populations are likely to cause a huge or complete loss of sweetpotato production in sweetpotato
growing areas. Consequently, there is an urgent need for development of an eco-friendly control
method for this weevil. Although some control methods are effective, toxic pesticides applications are
detrimental and damaging to our environment. Although pheromone traps are currently being used,
no effective control of this weevil was achieved. Therefore, studies were carried out as part of the
development of a trapping system for C. formicarius. Previous color-choice Þeld tests have conÞrmed
that C. formicarius preferred red traps over gray, green, brown, blue, white, yellow, or black; light red
wasmore attractive than other shades of red. The current study aimed to knowwhetherC. formicarius
behavior changes in indoor conditions. Among the eight colored traps tested in the laboratory,
green-colored traps were more effective in attracting C. formicarius than all other colors. It attracted
nearly double the number of weevils than standard traps presently being used by growers. Based on
these results, it is recommended to use green-colored traps to mass trap weevils (by attracting and
killing) from sweetpotatoes grown under indoor (storage) conditions.
KEY WORDS sex pheromone, Cylas formicarius, color, trap
The sweetpotato weevil, Cylas formicarius (F.) (Co-
leoptera:Brentidae), is themost seriouspest on sweet-
potato worldwide (Austin et al. 1991). This weevil
causes damage in the Þeld, in storage, and is of quar-
antine signiÞcance. The cryptic feeding habits of the
larvae and the nocturnal activity of the adults make
detection and management of infestations difÞcult,
although varieties of sweetpotato having signiÞcant
levels of resistance toC. formicarius have not yet been
exploited (Downham et al. 2001, Korada et al. 2010,
Muyinza et al. 2012). Losses are estimated to range
from 5 to 80% (Sutherland 1986). Although C. formi-
carius can complete its life cycle in either the tubers
or vines of the sweetpotato plant, it prefers tubers
(Strong 1983).
Although various control measures have been prac-
ticed to diminish the damage caused byC. formicarius,
broad spectrum insecticide applications remain the
main control method (Sutherland 1986). However,
the belowground feeding habits of the larvae and
nocturnal activity of the adults make it necessary for
growers to apply insecticide several times during the
crop growing season (Hwang 2000). This chemical
control is not only expensive but also toxic to bene-
Þcial insects and causes environmental pollution
(Reddy et al. 2012a,b). Leng and Reddy (2012) re-
ported that neem and spinosad are promising candi-
dates as ecofriendly chemicals that could potentially
replace broad-spectrum synthetic neurotoxins for
controlling C. formicarius. However, these chemicals
are not practically used for controlling C. formicarius
in the Þeld. Although biological control is viable, as
wasps such as Bracon mellitor Say, Bracon punctatus
(Muesebeck), Metapelma spectabile Westwood (all
Hymenoptera: Braconidae) and Euderus purpureas
Yoshimoto (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) have been
reared successfully in the Southern United States
(Chalfant et al. 1990), there have been no studies of
the parasitoid effectiveness on C. formicarius. More-
over, these species seem to be sporadic.
A sexpheromone, (Z)-3-dodecen-1-o1(E)-2-buteno-
ate has been identiÞed from female C. formicarius and
reported as highly attractive tomaleweevils (Heath et
al. 1986). Traps baited with the synthetic sex phero-
mone showed potential to be an effective tool for
monitoring C. formicarius (Proshold et al. 1986). A
successful formulation for this sex pheromone lure
and inexpensive traps designed for mass trapping of
male C. formicarius,which is effective in the Þeld, has
been developed (Hwang 2000). As a result, attention
in recent years has focused on the use of sex phero-
mones as a potential component in theirmanagement.
Exploration into the use of the sex pheromones for the
1 WesternPaciÞcTropical ResearchCenter, College ofNatural and
Applied Sciences, University of Guam, Mangilao, GU 96923.
2 Western Triangle Agricultural Research Center, Montana State
University, 9546 Old Shelby Rd., Conrad, MT 59425.
3 Corresponding author, e-mail: reddy@montana.edu.
0013-8746/14/0274Ð0278$04.00/0  2014 Entomological Society of America
management of C. formicarius, including trap charac-
teristics and practical application techniques, are pro-
gressing and has great potential for improving current
C. formicariusmanagement programs. Previous color-
choice Þeld tests (Reddy et al. 2012a) have conÞrmed
that C. formicarius preferred red traps over gray,
green, brown, blue, white, yellow, black, or red ones;
light red wasmore attractive than other shades of red.
Because C. formicarius is known to attack sweetpota-
toes in the Þeld and storage, the current study aimed
to know whether C. formicarius changes its response
to colors under indoor to outdoor conditions. There-
fore, we undertook studies in the laboratory to eval-
uate the response of C. formicarius to different trap
colors baited with and without pheromone lures.
Materials and Methods
Origin and Rearing of Weevils. Pherocon unitraps
baitedwith lureswereused to trap adultC. formicarius
in sweetpotato Þelds in Latte Heights and Yigo
(Guam, USA). The trapped adults were taken to the
laboratory, placed in batches in collapsible cages (12
by 10 by 10 cm), fed leaves and pieces of the sweet-
potato, and maintained at 22  2C, 70Ð80% relative
humidity (RH), and a photoperiod of 16:8 (L:D) h.
Approximately 5Ð6 generations were completed be-
fore use for experiments. For all experiments, adults
were obtained from the mass-reared in a laboratory.
The adults selected for the experiments were 3Ð4 wk
old.
Sex Differentiation of Weevils. The female C. for-
micarius differ from the males in antenna and body
size (Starr and Wilson 1997). The antennae of the
males are straight while those of the female are round
or club-shaped. The terminal club of the femaleÕs
antenna is ovoid, while that of the male is cylindrical.
Typically, the females are larger than the males.
Trap Type. The Pherocon unitraps (also called
bucket traps), 20.5 cmhigh by 13 cm in diameterwere
also obtained from Tre´ce´ Incorporated, Adair, OK.
Each unitrap consisted of a funnel-shaped white plas-
tic receptacle with a yellow plastic lid and holder for
attached lures mounted over a bucket for retaining
captured insects (Fig. 1). The traps were constructed
using a white bucket, a yellow cone on the top of the
bucket, and a dark green cover above the cone.
PheromoneLures.Pheromone lures in rubber septa
loaded with Z3-dodecenyl-E2-butenoate, sealed in an
impermeable bag for shipping and storage, were ob-
tained from Chem Tica Internacional SA (San Jose´,
Costa Rica). The lure packs, each containing 10 mg of
pheromone and emitting the active ingredient at
0.01 mg/d (Material Safety Data Sheet, ChemTica
Internacional, SA), were stored at 4Cuntil use. Lures
were suspended by a wire inside the bucket of the
trap.
Effect of Trap Color. The Pherocon unitraps were
entirely covered with brown, black, gray, yellow, red,
white, green, or blue vinyl tape and tested indepen-
dently. Color characteristics of the tape were deter-
mined with a Konica Minolta CR-410 Chromometer
(Minolta Instrument Systems, Ramsey, NJ) and are
given in Table 1.
ExperimentsWithDifferent Color Traps.To know
the effect of visual and olfactory cues on the trap
catches, two indoor experiments on trap color were
conducted in a laboratory 10 m long by 6 m wide by
3.5 m high. One set of the experiment was carried out
with pheromone lures and another set upwaswithout
pheromone lures. Because C. formicarius is known to
Fig. 1. A trap used in the current study. (Online Þgure
in color.)
Table 1. Specifications of the colors of traps used
Trap colora L* a* b* Chroma (C) Hue angle (h)
Black 30.44 0.06 0.42 0.03 1.08 0.04 1.16 0.05 Ð
Brown 35.26 0.18 3.98 0.03 3.94 0.02 5.60 0.03 44.66 0.11
Gray 39.83 0.11 0.17 0.02 2.23 0.01 2.24 0.01 85.64 0.47
Yellow 82.57 0.02 2.92 0.03 84.02 0.27 84.07 0.27 91.99 0.02
Red 42.84 0.11 49.88 0.28 19.44 0.20 53.54 0.34 21.29 0.09
White 92.29 0.03 1.34 0.01 2.59 0.04 2.91 0.03 Ð
Green 43.50 0.08 27.32 0.03 1.72 0.09 27.37 0.03 176.39 0.19
Blue 36.02 0.10 15.19 0.10 35.82 0.12 38.91 0.14 292.98 0.08
a Means (SD) were generated from three observations.
L* indicates a measure of “lightness” that runs through the center of the color chart; 100 at the top represents white and zero at the bottom
represents black.
The a* axis, which runs left to right on the color chart, indicates a red shadewhen greater than zero (positive) and a green shadewhen lower
than zero (negative). Similarly, the b* axis, which runs vertically through the color chart, indicates a yellow shade when positive and a blue
shade when negative (Wrolstad et al. 2005).
The hue angle is expressed on a 360 grid on which 0  red, 90  yellow, 180  green, and 270  blue.
January 2014 GADI AND REDDY: COLOR ATTRACTION FOR C. formicarius 275
be nocturnal (Chalfant et al. 1990), the Þeld-collected
adults were fed and reared under a reverse photope-
riod for 3Ð4 wk before starting the experiment in the
laboratory. This was to enable experiments during the
daytime. The tests were run in a dimly lit (150 lux)
laboratory between 1200 and 1730 hours with 40 by
25-cm ground traps of different colors. The traps to be
tested were placed on the ßoor of the laboratory 2 h
before the release of the adults, so that pheromone
vapors could spread throughout the laboratory. The
traps were placed on the ßoor of the laboratory. Forty
adults were then released in the center of the trap
circle. The inter-trap distance was 30 cm, while the
distance between adults release point and traps was
1 m. The number of adults attracted by the different
colored trapsduring the following5minwas recorded.
Each treatment was replicated 40 times. Trapped bee-
tles were removed after capture and discarded. Un-
captured insects were removed before the next trial,
and we used fresh adults for each replicate to avoid
pseudoreplication.
StatisticalAnalysis.Thedatawereanalyzedwith the
generalized linearmixedmodelprocedureofSASVer-
sion 9.13 (SAS Institute 2009). For the reason that all
response variables used were count variables, a one-
way Poisson ANOVA model was Þtted, by means of
the GLIMMIX Procedure SAS Version 9.3 (SAS In-
stitute 2009). The least square means test was used to
make multiple comparisons for signiÞcant differences
between treatments.
Results
Green traps without pheromone lures caught sig-
niÞcantly more adult C. formicarius than those of any
other color tested (F 8.13, df 7, 38, P 0.05; Fig.
2), followed, in descending order, by standard traps
and yellow traps, which are signiÞcantly different
from with each other. No signiÞcant differences were
observed among the responses to black, brown, gray,
blue, red, andwhite. Thegreen-colored trapswere the
most attractive to C. formicarius by drawing twice as
manyas standard traps thatwere currentlybeingused.
In the second experiment trap with pheromone
lure, green traps caught signiÞcantly (F 13.06, df
7, 38,P 0.05; Fig. 3)more than the standard traps and
all other colored traps. Interestingly, the green-col-
ored trapswith pheromone lures attracted three times
more weevils than the standard traps.
Discussion
A number of reports on the attractiveness and per-
formance of the pheromone to C. formicarius in the
Þeld have been described (Talekar and Lee 1989,
Jansson et al. 1992, Reddy et al. 2012a and references
therein). Pheromone-based trapping methods can
provide a valuable and environmentally friendly con-
trol method, particularly for borer pests because con-
trol of cryptic larvae is difÞcult. Our previous studies
indicated thatC. formicarius responded to red-colored
pheromone traps in the Þeld; light red being most
attractive (Reddy et al. 2012a). In our current study,
C. formicarius responded to green-colored traps in
indoor conditions. Moreover, it is interesting to know
from the current study that catches double without
the pheromone and tripled with the pheromone.
Therefore, it would seem that there is some sort of
interaction (i.e., the color green helps signiÞcantly
more when coupled with pheromones than when
not). This is clearly an interaction between visual
(green-colored traps) andolfactory cues (pheromone
lures; Reddy andGuerrero 2004). The sex pheromone
compounds were isolated, extracted, and identiÞed
from females, which attract only males. However, fe-
males use visual or chemical cues for feeding and
oviposition in plants (Reddy and Raman 2011). In this
case, C. formicarius were using visual and olfactory
cues and attracted to green-colored traps. This is the
reason why green-colored traps coupled with phero-
Fig. 2. Mean percent (SE) of sweetpotato weevils at-
tracted to unbaited-pheromone traps of different colors in
the laboratory. Different capital letters indicate signiÞcant
differences between treatments (one-way ANOVA with
Poisson model, least square means, P  0.01). Green traps
outperformed all others. Bars represent means of 40 repli-
cates. (Online Þgure in color.)
Fig. 3. Mean percent (SE) of sweetpotato weevils at-
tracted to pheromone-baited traps of different colors in the
laboratory. Different capital letters indicate signiÞcant dif-
ferences between treatments (one-way ANOVA with Pois-
son model, least square means, P  0.01). Green traps with
pheromoneoutperformed all others. Bars representmeans of
40 replicates. (Online Þgure in color.)
276 ANNALS OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA Vol. 107, no. 1
mone lures are attracting a signiÞcantly higher num-
ber of weevils than the green-colored traps with or
without a pheromone.
Numerous studies are conducted in the Okinawa
Islands, Japan, on the attraction of the West Indian
sweet potato weevil, Euscepes postfasciates, to visual
and color cues (Nakamoto and Kuba 2004 and refer-
ences therein). Initial studies by Nakamoto and
Takushi (2002) were conÞrmed using root traps (pit-
fall trap) with blue, green, yellow, and red LEDÕs; the
root trapwith theblueLEDcaptured ahighernumber
of E. postfasciates (Nakamoto and Takushi 2002) than
the other colors. However, additional studies by Na-
kamoto andKuba (2004) reported that the greenLED
trap was much more effective than the root trap (pit-
fall trap) for monitoring E. postfasciates population in
the Þeld. The authors concluded that compared with
the root trap, 4- to 326-foldweevils were caught in the
green LED trap during the experimental periods.
Thus, the green LED trap appears much more effec-
tive than the root trap for monitoring the weevil pop-
ulation in the Þeld. Our current studies are performed
with different species of C. formicarius, and we ob-
served somewhat different results under indoor con-
ditions. For example, our previous color-choice Þeld
tests (Reddy et al. 2012a) have established that C.
formicarius preferred red traps over all other colors
tested. The current study clearly indicated that C.
formicarius behavior changes in indoor conditions as
the weevils preferred green-colored traps compared
with all other colors tested.
In the setting where this could be applied among
plants, it could be debatable that the green trap is
attractive to the weevils distinct from the green veg-
etation, which also might have some color attraction
for the C. formicarius. It is also believed that although
green-colored trapswill be somewhat attractive to the
C. formicarius while being distinct from the green
vegetation, which also might have some color attrac-
tion for the weevils. However, green-colored traps
coupled with pheromone lures will have higher at-
traction than green traps. Nevertheless, the present
results are still very useful to trapC. formicarius under
indoor (storage) conditions where there will not be
any plants.
Based on our current and previous (Reddy et al.
2012a) studies, it is recommended that green-colored
pheromone trapscouldbeused incovered spaces(i.e.,
warehouses, greenhouses, etc.), while light red pher-
omone baited traps can be used in Þeld conditions for
controlling C. formicarius
Acknowledgments
We thank R. Gumataotao and J. Remolona for their help
during the Þeldwork. This project was supported by FY 2011
PaciÞc Islands Area Conservation Innovation Grants (PIA-
CIG) Program, Grant Agreement No. 69-9251-11-902, The
Natural Resources Conservation ServiceÐUnited States De-
partment of Agriculture (NRCSÑUSDA). In accordance
with federal law and USDA policy, this institution is prohib-
ited from discrimination on the basis of race, color, national
origin, sex, age, or disability. The research work was made
possible from a Summer Apprenticeship Program by Nirupa
Gadi at the University of Guam.
References Cited
Austin, D. F., R. K. Jansson, and G. W. Wolfe. 1991. Con-
volvulaceae and Cylas: a proposed hypothesis on the
origins of this plant/insect relationship. Trop. Agric. 68:
162Ð170.
Chalfant, R. B., R. K. Jansson, D. R. Seal, and J. M. Schalk.
1990. Ecology and management of sweet potato insects.
Annu. Rev. Entomol. 35: 157Ð180.
Downham, M.C.A., N.E.J.M. Smit, P. O. Laboke, D. R. Hall,
and B. Odongo. 2001. Reduction of pre-harvest infesta-
tions of African sweetpotato weevils Cylas brunneus and
C. puncticollis (Coleoptera: Apionidae) using a phero-
mone mating-disruption technique. Crop Prot. 20: 163Ð
166.
Heath, R. R., J. A. Coffelt, P. E. Sonnet, F. I. Proshold, B.
Dueben, and J. H. Tumlinson. 1986. IdentiÞcation of
sex-pheromone produced by female sweetpotato weevil,
Cylas formicarius elegantulus (Summers). J. Chem. Ecol.
12: 1489Ð1503.
Hwang, J. S. 2000. Integrated control of sweetpotatoweevil,
Cylas formicarius Fabricius, with sex pheromone and in-
secticide, pp. 25Ð43, In C. Chien (ed.), Sweet potato
production. Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
Jansson, R. K., L. J. Mason, R. R. Heath, K. A. Sorensen, A.M.
Hammond, and J. V. Robinson. 1992. Pheromone-trap
monitoring system for sweetpotato weevil (Coleoptera:
Apionidae) in the southern United States: effects of trap
type andpheromonedose. J. Econ. Entomol. 85: 416Ð423.
Korada, R. R., S. K. Naskar, M. S. Palaniswami, and R. C. Ray.
2010. Management of sweet potato weevil, [Cylas formi-
carius (Fab.)]: an overview. J. Root Crops 36: 14Ð26.
Leng, P. H., and G.V.P. Reddy. 2012. Bioactivity of selected
eco-friendly pesticides against the sweetpotato weevil,
Cylas formicarius (Fabricius) (Coleoptera: Brentidae).
Fla. Entomol. 95: 1040Ð1047.
Muyinza, H., H. L. Talwana, R.O.M. Mwanga, and P. C.
Stevenson. 2012. Sweetpotato weevil (Cylas spp.) resis-
tance in African sweetpotato germplasm. Inter. J. Pest
Manage. 58: 73Ð81.
Nakamoto, Y., and H. Kuba. 2004. The effectiveness of a
green light emitting diode (LED trap at capturing the
West Indian sweet potato weevil, Euscepes postfasciatus
(Fairmaire) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in a sweet po-
tato Þeld. Appl. Entomol. Zool. 39: 491Ð495.
Nakamoto, Y., and J. Takushi. 2002. A newly developed
LED (Light Emitting Diode) trap for the West Indian
sweet potato weevil, Euscepes postfasciatus (Fairmaire)
(Coleoptera:Curculionidae). Jpn. J.Appl. Entomol.Zool.
46: 145Ð151.
Proshold, F. I., J. L. Gonzalez, C. Asencio, and R. R. Heath.
1986. A trap for monitoring the sweetpotato weevil (Co-
leoptera: Curculionidae) using pheromone or live fe-
males as bait. J. Econ. Entomol. 79: 641Ð647.
Reddy,G.V.P., andA.Guerrero. 2004. Interactions of insect
pheromones and plant semiochemicals. Trends Plant Sci.
9: 253Ð261.
Reddy, G. V. P., and A. Raman. 2011. Visual cues are rele-
vant in behavioral control measures for Cosmopolites sor-
didus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). J. Econ. Entomol.
104: 436Ð442.
Reddy, G.V.P., N. Gadi, and A. J. Taianao. 2012a. EfÞcient
sex pheromone trapping technique: catching the sweet-
January 2014 GADI AND REDDY: COLOR ATTRACTION FOR C. formicarius 277
potato weevil Cylas formicarius. J. Chem. Ecol. 38: 846Ð
853.
Reddy, G.V.P., J. McConnell, and A. E. Badilles. 2012b. Es-
timation of the population density of the sweetpotato
weevils on the Mariana Islands. J. Entomol. Acarol. Res.
44: 18Ð21.
Starr, C. K., and D. D. Wilson. 1997. Sexual dimorphism in
the sweet potao weevil, Cylas formicarius (F.), (Co-
leoptera: Brentidae). Can. Entomol. 129: 61Ð69.
Strong, L. A. 1983. Report of the chief of the bureau of
entomology and plant quarantine. United States Depart-
ment of Agriculture, Washington, DC.
Sutherland, J. A. 1986. A review of the biology and control
of the sweetpotato weevil Cylas formicarius (Fab). Trop.
Pest Manage. 32: 304Ð315.
SAS Institute 2009. SAS/STATuserÕs guide, release 9.3. SAS
Institute, Cary, NC.
Talekar, N. S., and S. T. Lee. 1989. Studies on the utilization
of a female sex pheromone for the management of sweet
potatoweevil,Cylas formicarius formicarius (Coleoptera:
Curculionidae). Bull. Inst. Zool. Acad. Sin. 28: 281Ð288.
Received 25 August 2013; accepted 17 October 2013.
278 ANNALS OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA Vol. 107, no. 1