Introduction | Get a Clue & Ditch the Glue
March 2025 — For generations, commercial farmers have relied on traditional pest monitoring methods as a watchdog over their crops. Most notably are sticky traps, which gained traction in commercial agriculture around the onset of the Green Revolution in the 1940s, and have been a staple in farmers’ toolkits ever since. Sticky traps are brightly colored, adhesive-coated “cards”, which are placed in fields to capture flying insects with the intent of providing a periodic snapshot of pest presence.
While sticky traps have served their purpose over the years, they come with significant drawbacks. These old school monitoring tools demand regular attention and manual data collection — which is time-consuming and labor-intensive. Additionally, they’re subject to human error and can lead to farmers missing early signs of an infestation, depending on the frequency that they’re inspected.
In today’s evolving agricultural landscape, relying solely on sticky traps can leave farmers a step behind, as pest populations and subsequent crop damage can escalate rapidly. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), “up to 40% of global crop production is lost annually due to plant pests and diseases, costing the global economy over $220 billion each year”.
Recognizing these challenges and the critical nature of timely data, agricultural operators are transitioning to modern solutions. In this blog, we will explore why farmers are replacing sticky traps with real-time insect monitoring technology and how this move is drastically reducing crop losses.
What’s the Problem With Sticky Traps?
For decades, sticky traps have been the go-to method for monitoring insect pests in commercial agriculture. They offered a simple way to somewhat track the presence of insect pests, but farming has evolved since the days of the Green Revolution. Today, sticky traps are increasingly being replaced by real-time insect monitoring technology, like FarmSense’s FlightSensor, which eliminates many of the challenges that come with glue-based monitoring methods. While sticky traps may still be in use, their inefficiencies make them a poor choice for modern farming operations focused on precision, speed, and sustainability. If you’re a farmer who still swears by those flimsy, glue-covered cards, you’re probably asking, “what’s the problem with sticky traps”?
Sticky Trap Problem #1 – Labor-Intensive & Time Consuming
Sticky traps require frequent checks to maintain any semblance of effectiveness. Workers must manually inspect, replace, and record findings — a process that demands time and adds to operational costs. In large-scale farming, this becomes an ongoing labor burden, pulling valuable resources away from other critical tasks.
Beyond the labor, manual identification of trapped insects is prone to human error. Fieldworkers must differentiate between pest species, beneficial insects, and harmless bystanders, often with little more than a quick visual assessment. Misidentification can lead to misguided pest management decisions, increasing the risk of unnecessary pesticide applications or failing to address an emerging infestation in time.
Sticky Trap Problem #2 – Delayed Data Collection
Insect pest populations can explode in just a few days. Yet, sticky traps only provide periodic snapshots of insect activity. By the time a fieldworker collects data, records it, and reports it, the information is very likely outdated. This lag often allows pests to establish themselves before farmers can respond, potentially leading to significant crop damage.
With real-time insect monitoring, farmers can detect pest activity immediately, allowing for proactive treatment rather than reactive intervention. In addition to gaining immediate insight into pest pressure, technology like FarmSense’s FlightSensor also provides 24 hour historical information, allowing growers to see the time that insects arrived, which can be helpful in timing of control measures. Precision and timing are crucial in pest management, and sticky traps simply don’t provide the speed necessary to stay ahead of infestations.
Sticky Trap Problem #3 – Non-Selective Trapping
Sticky traps don’t discriminate — they capture any insect that lands on them. While this might seem like a comprehensive approach, it can lead to more harm than good. Beneficial insects, including pollinators like bees and natural predators such as ladybugs and lacewings, frequently become unintended casualties. In addition to the impact sticky traps can have on beneficial insects, they can inadvertently catch small reptiles and birds that go to feed on the insects already stuck on the trap. This can disrupt the delicate balance of an agricultural ecosystem, making pest problems worse in the long run.
By contrast, real-time insect monitoring systems focus on identifying and tracking specific pests without interfering with beneficial species. This targeted approach helps farmers manage threats without unnecessary disruption to biodiversity.
Sticky Trap Problem #4 – Environmental and Ethical Concerns
Sticky traps aren’t just inefficient — they also raise some ethical and environmental concerns amongst conservationists. These traps can lead to prolonged suffering for trapped insects and even small vertebrates, such as lizards and birds, that get caught unintentionally.
As agriculture shifts toward sustainability, commercial farmers are often looking for solutions that align with environmental responsibility. Autonomous insect monitoring technology can provide the data farmers need without harming non-target species or creating unnecessary waste.
Sticky Trap Problem #5 – There’s Simply a Better Option
You wouldn’t rely on smoke signals to communicate with your neighbor if you have a cellphone and you wouldn’t drive across town to pay a utility bill if you could just pay online, right? So, why would you treat monitoring for insect pests any differently?
Sticky traps may have served their purpose in the past, but their limitations make them outdated in today’s commercial farming operations. As precision agriculture continues to evolve, more growers are turning to real-time monitoring solutions that offer the accuracy and timeliness required to manage a successful, modern farming operation.
Why Should You Switch From Sticky Traps to Real-Time Insect Pest Monitoring?
We’ve explained the problems with sticky traps, but it’s just as important to understand how technology like the FlightSensor addresses those challenges. The FlightSensor doesn’t just replace sticky traps — it redefines how farmers detect, track, and respond to insect threats. With instant data collection, precise insect classification, and seamless digital access, this technological breakthrough gives commercial farmers the ability to make informed pest management decisions faster and more efficiently than ever before.
The award-winning FlightSensor is an advanced, autonomous pest monitoring device that continuously collects and analyzes insect activity in real-time. Unlike sticky traps, which require manual inspections, this solar-powered device operates independently, transmitting data wirelessly to a cloud-based dashboard which is accessible via computer or mobile device.
At the core of the FlightSensor is an optical detection sensor that, combined with FarmSense’s database of digitized insect data — which is estimated to be the largest in the world — can identify and classify pest species with near-perfect accuracy. It detects insects based on wingbeat patterns, then processes the data using FarmSense’s patented algorithm. The result is a highly accurate and real-time assessment of pest populations and pressure without the delays, errors, or environmental drawbacks associated with traditional monitoring methods.
The Future of Sticky Traps Has Arrived
Adopting real-time insect monitoring is more than just an upgrade — it’s a shift toward smarter farming. Growers who implement autonomous pest tracking technology can reduce crop losses, lower pesticide usage, and save valuable time and resources, all while maintaining a more balanced agricultural ecosystem.
As commercial farming moves toward greater precision and sustainability, real-time insect monitoring technology will continue to shape the industry. Farmers who make the switch today aren’t just improving their pest management strategies, they’re securing the future of their operations.
Visit FarmSense today to learn how their award-winning FlightSensor can revolutionize your approach to insect pest management — Otherwise, you may get stuck in the past.