The Texas pheromone trap designed by Hartstack, et al. The trap is significantly different from previous trap designs. It is made almost entirely from 8 x 8 wire mesh. An inverted wire mesh funnel and a removable moth retaining cage, also made of wire mesh, are the main components of the trap. The trap is preferred because of its superior ability to catch moths, its portability and its durability.
Moths attracted by the pheromone enter the inverted funnel from the bottom.
Once inside the trap, the moths fly up into the retaining cage and are captured alive. This makes it possible to kill and count the moths and determine species. Or, the moths may be kept alive and used for monitoring insecticide resistance levels. The lure used to bait the traps is a synthetic pheromone based on naturally occurring sex pheromones produced by the female to attract male moths during courtship. This bait, just like the sex pheromone produced by the female moth, dissipates in small quantities into the atmosphere.