Light trapping of Helicoverpa armigera in India and Hungary in relation with the moon phases

Abstract

The scarce bordered straw (Helicoverpa armigera Hbn.) was caught by light-trap to ascertain whether the behaviour of European population is the same with Indian ones in connection with moon phases, collecting distance, polarized moonlight and the light pollution. The Indian authors have found that the caught moths were very low at full moon, and high around the new moon. On this contrary, we did not establish difference between the catches of scarce bordered straw (Helicoverpa armigera Hbn.) at full moon and new moon in Hungary between 1993 and 2006. The light pollution in India was lower at that time than this time in Hungary. The collecting distance in India was differing significantly at new moon and full moon. The light pollution equalized the collecting distance all the lunar months in Hungary. Hungarian catch results are modified primarily by polarized moonlight in the period between the first and the last quarters.