Optimizing pheromone trapping for true armyworms (Mythimna unipuncta) in rice

Mythimna unipuncta is a major pest in rice farms across the United States. Pheromone traps are a potential method of monitorin the populations of Mythimna unipuncta, but their effectiveness varies wildly over a small area. We hypothesized that traps would be variable in their moth capture on a given date and that trap captures would be highest for specific traps through time. We set up 20 pheromone-baited bucket traps in rice fields, spaced on a 0.5 mi grid. Traps were checked weekly for collected moths. We also searched the rice around the traps for larvae and chewing damage. With our results, we aim to optimize how to use pheromone traps as effective control options by observing the variations in space and time between the traps. We used Pearson correlation and Sadie analysis alongside our data to attempt to determine these correlations between traps and identify patterns. Our results showed that there is little correlation between the traps, but opened up many options for further research into the topic.