Attraction of Some Adult Midges (Diptera: Chironomidae) of Florida to Artificial Light in the Field

The attraction of pestiferous species of adult Chironomidae to commercially available lamps of various colors and wattages was studied by employing New Jersey light traps along the shoreline of a central Florida lake. Glyptotendipes paripes Edwards, Goeldichironomus holoprasinus Goeldi, Chironomus crassicaudatus Malloch, and species of Tanypodinae were predominant in the collections. A comparison of 100-W incandescent lamps showed that white was preferred over yellow, and both were preferred over red, orange, green or blue. Analysis of deviance indicated that these differences were due primarily to differences in intensity (lux), although smaller effects of color and differences in response among species were detected. No differences were observed in preference between 60-W white incandescent or fluorescent lamps. These results were consistent with previous laboratory studies, and indicate that manipulating light intensity, rather than color, may be more appropriate in the overall development of an integrated control strategy of nuisance chironomid midges.