Historically, the use of vacuum devices to control insect populations was more a novelty than a necessity; until the 1960s the number of insecticides available for insect control was burgeoning. In fact, the first documented use of a tractor-propelled vacuum device was for mass collection of Lygus hesperus Knight for mark-release studies (Stern et al. 1965). Another application was for arthropod sampling methods (Ellington et al. 1984). This machine sampled large acreage cotton in an effort to accurately determine insect population densities, and it achieved mean catch rates of 14–64%.
Historically, the use of vacuum devices to control insect populations was more a novelty than a necessity; until the 1960s the number of insecticides available for insect control was burgeoning. In fact, the first documented use of a tractor-propelled vacuum device was for mass collection of Lygus hesperus Knight for mark-release studies (Stern et al. 1965). Another application was for arthropod sampling methods (Ellington et al. 1984). This machine sampled large acreage cotton in an effort to accurately determine insect population densities, and it achieved mean catch rates of 14–64%.