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How to use yellow sticky traps to monitor potato psyllids Diggin' In Diggin' In INSECT PESTS | By Erik J. Wenninger Ever since zebra chip disease was first reported in Idaho, Washington and Oregon in 2011, we have been interested in monitoring the potato psyllid—a small insect that transmits the bacterium associated with zebra chip. This disease causes plants to produce tubers with striped necrotic patterns that make them unmarketable. Tracking potato psyllids over the season can help growers make decisions on when and where to apply insecticides to manage the vector and the disease. Several different sampling methods have been explored over the years, but for the most part, researchers and growers have been sticking with yellow sticky traps for monitoring adult potato psyllids in potato crops. In fact, sticky trap monitoring has recently been made a requirement for Pacific Northwest growers planning to export table- stock potatoes to South Korea. Yellow sticky traps offer a useful approach to monitoring potato psyllids; however, there are some important considerations that can help in getting the most out of your sticky traps. We have been monitoring psyllids across southern Idaho since 2012, and here I offer some tips on using yellow sticky traps for monitoring potato psyllids in your potato fields. The materials needed include yellow sticky traps, of course, but also wooden stakes, large binder clips and a permanent marker to label the traps. We use 4×6-inch yellow sticky traps, which are offered by a number of different companies. We make our own stakes using wood lath, which can be purchased from a home center; one end of each lath can be cut to a point to turn it into a stake. The binder clip is used to secure the sticky trap on the stake. Before deploying in the field, each sticky trap should be labeled with as much detail as is needed to later identify where it came from. This likely will include the field name, date and location in the field. At a minimum, each field should have a trap placed in four locations evenly spaced around the perimeter of the field—typically one at each cardinal Yellow sticky traps should be placed in a field for about a week at a time. 36 POTATO GROWER | MAY 2019 Sticky Situation Sticky Situation