Equipment program a traitor bugs regularly (9)
I believe the answer is:
apparatus
'equipment' is the definition.
(apparatus is a kind of equipment)
'program a traitor bugs regularly' is the wordplay.
'program' becomes 'app' (type of computer program).
'traitor' becomes 'rat' (I've seen this before).
'regularly' indicates alternate letters (regularly take one letter, leave next etc.).
The alternate letters of 'bugs' are 'us'.
'app'+'a'+'rat'+'us'='APPARATUS'
(Other definitions for apparatus that I've seen before include "Piece of equipment" , "Equipment designed for a specific function" , "Device with specific functions" , "Set of equipment serving a specific purpose" , "Technical equipment" .)