M. TÓTH, Z. IMREI
Plant Protection Institute, Hungarian Academy of Science, Budapest, Pf. 102, H-1525, Hungary; phone +36-1-3769555; fax +36-1-3769729; e-mail h2371tot@ella.hu
I SZARUKÁN, R. KÖRÖSI
Agricultural University, Debrecen, Pf. 58
L. FURLAN
Institute for Agricultural Entomology, Padova University, Agripolis, Via Romea 16, Legnaro, I-35020 Italy

Pheromone traps for Agriotes click beetle pests were operated at several sites in Hungary in 1998 - 2000 with the principal aim of determining the key pest species and to obtain information on their seasonal occurrence.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Trials were carried out from 1998 to 2000; in the first 2 years YATLOR and VARb traps were used while in 2000 a trap design suitable for both flying and crawling species (YATLORfunnel) was used. The traps were baited with the lures for A. lineatus, A. obscurus, A. sputator, A. sordidus, A. brevis, A.litigiosus and A.ustulatus. The areas of the regions where the experimentation was carried out have the following characteristics:
Agárd, Fejér county; weedy edge of fields; latitude: 48°51'; ph: 7.3, kind of soil: brown chernozyom, yearly average temperature: 11.1°C (1998); 11.2°C (1999); 12.2°C (2000), total rainfall: 697 mm (1998); 795 mm (1999); 403 mm (2000), common cultures: maize, sunflower, wheat, rape, sugarbeet, alfalfa.
Tedej-Hajdúnánás, Hajdú-Bihar county; alfalfa fields; latitude: 48°29'; ph 7.3, kind of soil: brown chernozyom; yearly average temperature 9.8°C; average rainfall 556 mm, common cultures: wheat, maize, sugarbeet, alfalfa.
At each site two traps of each bait type were operated.

RESULTS
During the tests at both sites regular catches of A. sputator, A. lineatus, A. rufipalpis and A. ustulatus were observed in traps baited with the respective baits. Catches in these traps were highly selective; only in traps baited with the A. lineatus bait were sporadic catches of A. sputator observed. In the course of our trappings the pheromone traps could readily follow seasonal occurrence of all four species captured in greater numbers.
No catches were observed in traps baited with A. litigosus or A. obscurus baits. In traps baited with A. brevis baits all specimens captured proved to be A. sputator, evidently coming to the one component of the brevis bait.
The results suggest that the most abundant and economically important click beetle species in Hungary include A. sputator, A. lineatus, A. rufipalpis and A. ustulatus. From these the importance of A. sputator, A. lineatus and A. ustulatus has been realized in earlier plant protection literature. A. rufipalpis, although known to be present in Hungary, so far has not been thought to be an important pest. Based on our results its pest status should be reconsidered.
The conspicuous absence of A. obscurus from the present trappings is highly interesting as this species was listed as one of the most abundant pest elaterid in earlier literature. The cause of this discrepancy has to be the subject of further studies.
In soil samplings performed at Debrecen in 1999 and 2000 at the sites of the trappings no or negligible numbers of click beetle larvae were found, suggesting that numbers trapped in the present study still do not represent an economically important population level.