Low Energy Trap with Light Emitting Diode for Increased Attraction of Phthorimaea operculella Zeller

The Phthorimaea operculella Zeller moth is a pest that affects potato crops and is found mainly in the inter-Andean valleys of the highlands of Peru (Huancavelica). The objective of the research was to use the phenomenon of light generated by light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to attract the potato moth in storage. Every day at seven o’clock in the morning, the number of moths falling dead in the light trap on the water contained in the container was counted. Five LED lights with different light densities per square centimeter were tested for five nights with different frequencies: 3.125 Hz, 12.5 Hz, 50 Hz, 200 Hz and 400 Hz. Every five nights the operating current of the LEDs was changed: 5 mA, 10 mA and 15 mA. Every fifteen nights the color of the LEDs was changed, according to the following sequence: white, blue, green, yellow and red; the color that attracted the most was white light, while the one with the least attraction was red light. The white light trap using the 64 LED array attracted 38.73% of moths and consumed a total of 43 W of energy in seven days, so it is considered low energy consumption.