The Effect of Color and Synthetic Pheromone Traps on Blooming Female Flowers of Elaeis guineensis Jacq on the Visit Intensity of Elaeidobius kamerunicus Faust.

Elaeidobius kamerunicus is an effective pollinator of oil palm plants. The presence of oil palm pollinating beetles is inseparable from the presence of estragole compounds emitted by oil palm flowers. This study aims to examine the effect of color variations and estragole attractants from fennel oil on the population abundance and frequency of visits of E. kamerunicus. Data analysis used descriptive statistics, which involved counting pollinating insects that visited E. kamerunicus trapped in each trap, which was observed between 07.00 and 12.00. Parameters observed included the number of pollinating insects visiting flowers and other insects in each color per unit of observation time, with hourly intervals. The results showed that color variations of E. kamerunicus and the time of trap placement affected the population abundance and frequency of visits of E. kamerunicus. The highest visits were found in the yellow treatment with the addition of estragole attractant from fennel oil at an observation time interval of 10.00-11.00. The conclusion of this study indicates that the arrival of E. kamerunicus is influenced by the color and time of trap placement. This research is expected to provide new insights into promising methods in the field to improve oil palm pollination efficiency.