Èntomologičeskoe obozrenie

Traps equipped with low-power LEDs are very promising for use in insect pest control due to their safety for the non-target entomofauna. However, the level of natural illumination at night at high latitudes varies greatly and the attractiveness of low-power LEDs in early summer (i. e. during the period of white nights) becomes too weak to ensure acceptable catch of harmful insects in traps. The purpose of this article is to illustrate a successful attempt, using the example of the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.), to enhance the attractive effect of low-power LEDs by replacing their direct current supply with a high-frequency pulsed (30 kHz) power supply. Diamondback moth adults were collected in the vicinity of St. Petersburg in 2020–2024 using Delta plastic traps equipped with LEDs and a synthetic sex attractant as a control. The results obtained proved that upgrade of LEDs power supply provides significant increase in diamondback moth adult catch by light traps, exactly 4.57 times during the period of white nights, 3.11 times during the dark nights following them, and 4.45 times during the summer as a whole. The results achieved are important not only from a practical point of view, but also have theoretical value, since the effect of flickering light on insect behaviour has been very insufficiently studied.