Capture of bumble bees and honey bees in traps baited with lures to attract Japanese beetles.

When large numbers of bumble bees, Bombus spp., were taken in traps for Japanese beetles, popillia japonica New-man, a 3-year study was made to determine the numbers of bumble bees captured by the traps and attracted by lures. Compounds containing anethole ( p -propenyl-anisole) or geraniol ( trans -3,7-dimethyl-2,6-octadien-1-ol) were much more attractive to bumble bees than compounds containing phenethyl butyrate or hexanoic acid, but certain rose perfume oils were also attractive. The substitution of green traps for yellow traps and the change to phenethyl butyrate+eugenol (4-allyl-2-methoxyphenol) (9:1) from anethole+eugenol (9:1) and geraniol+eugenol (9:1) during the 2nd and 3rd years of the study appeared to reduce the number of bumble bees captured to a small fraction of those taken the 1st season. Large numbers of honey bees, Apis mellifera L., were taken only in an occathe sional trap, but Rose Bleue perfume oil alone or with eugenol seemed especially attractive to honey bees. The distance (between 0 and 20 ft) that the traps were placed from blooming roses and privet frequented by bumble bees and honey bees did not affect the number captured per trap. Certain other pollinating Hymenoptera also were captured but the number taken was not considered large enough to be of economic importanc.