Traps consisting of open, cylindrical tins containing moistened clay aggregates were evaluated as field oviposition sites for corn rootworm, Diabrotica spp. Six trap features were investigated: clay aggregate size, water saturation level, trap opening, trap cover, trap volume, and trap position relative to corn plants. More eggs were recovered in traps containing clay aggregates ranging from 0.5 to 3.5 mm diameter compared with aggregates from 2.5 to 8.0 mm diameter. Saturation of the trap to 2.5 cm from the opening resulted in greater egg recovery compared with traps saturated to 6.0 cm from the opening. Covering the exposed surface of the trap with a metal ring and/or a corn leaf increased egg recovery in the field.
Oviposition traps were placed in four commercial corn fields in 1990 and three in 1991 to monitor egg populations. Egg recovery from traps and estimates of the absolute egg population in the soil were compared with densities of adult corn rootworm to predict larval damage on roots of corn planted the next year. In five fields, adult populations were above the current economic threshold of one beetle per plant. However, economic damage to roots occurred only in the field in which the most eggs were recovered from traps (226.6 eggs per trap) and soil samples (30.2 eggs per litre). Mean egg recovery per trap per field was correlated with mean damage ratings from untreated corn.