Abstract
The weevil Eucryptorrhynchus brandti (Harold, 1880), a wood-boring pest of Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle, has caused significant ecological damage and economic loss in China. Physical control was effective against the related species Eucryptorrhynchus scrobiculatus (Motschulsky). One type of trunk trap net controlled the adult weevil population through blocking and trapping. However, the effectiveness of this device was compromised by their tendency to escape when encountering such trapping nets. Therefore, it is crucial to enhance and optimize both the material composition and structural design of trap nets to enhance weevil capture rates by mitigating escape behavior. In this study, we compared the capture efficacy of an anti-escape trap net (AETN) with novel materials (Velcro) and a double-layer trap net (DLTN). The results indicate that the mean recapture rate of AETNs (50%) was significantly higher than that of DLTNs (3%) in laboratory tests. The total number of E. brandti captured using AETNs was 11 times higher than that of DLTNs in field marker recapture tests and 4 times higher in capture tests on field populations. The new AETN structures could effectively prevent the escape behavior of E. brandti and capture weevils. The use of Velcro made the AETN easier to manufacture, more convenient to use, and less costly. Overall, the AETN is an economical and environmentally friendly physical control device.