Attractiveness of Three 15-W Blacklight Lamps and a Cool White Lamp to Insects
ABSTRACT ATTRACTIVENESS to insects of 15-W BL fluores-cent lamps constructed with three different phosphors and a cool white lamp was determined in a field experiment. The BL phosphors were: (a) barium silicate: lead activated, commonly called conventional phosphor; (b) barium strontium magnesium silicate: lead activated, called Philips phosphor; and (c) stron-tium borate: europium activated, a new phosphor type. Overall, differences in attractiveness were based on the number of insects captured in survey light traps and on the frequency of catch, as expressed in terms of a catch index representative of the community of insects found in the catches. Catches were statistically evaluated by groups and for a few species. Overall, the conventional and Philips lamps were equally attractive. The lamp hav-ing the new phosphor was 18 percent more attractive than the conventional and Philips lamps. Additionally, a cool white lamp was 37 percent as attractive as those two lamps. The increased attractiveness of the new lamp was related to the increased radiant power emitted in the near-ultraviolet region of the spectrum.