ATTRACTION OF THE ALMOND MOTH, CADRA CAUTELLA (WALKER), TO READY MADE TEA OR COFFEE: AN ALTERNATION METHOD OF METHYL BROMIDE IN STOREHOUSES OF DATE FRUIT IN EGYPT

Cups of ready made tea or coffee were equally efficient in attracting and killing the almond moths of Cadra cautella, more than water, before egg laying. The ready made coffee was equal to the ready made tea in the attraction power. Baits of tea or coffee attracted significantly more moths than sweet water or tap water. The naturally existing cobweb spiders (Theridiidae) captured the moths during their flight over the tea or coffee baits mainly. The number of moths entangled inside spider webs was greater than those that sank in the tea or coffee solutions. Without the help of these baits, spider webs would have less catch numbers of the moths. So, it is generally recommended that these baits must be at the 4 corners of the store room to facilitate for the web-building spiders spinning their silk crossing the angle of the corner. Non-infested dates accompanying the infested dates continued without infestation in the presence of tea or coffee baits and the existing web-spinning spiders in the microhabitat over the baits. This technique could be used in conjunction with the natural existing web-building spiders that appear in each corner of the store room. The last may be considered as first record or discovery.
The application of tea or coffee trap baits with the natural existing cob-web spiders is an excellent example of functional date fruit integrated pest management inside storehouses. This may be a good safe replacement of methyl bromide as well as phosphine tablets.