Abstract
Several yellowjacket species are important pests in both their native habitat and in areas where they are invasive. Traps that contain one or more chemical attractants to lure insects inside are commonly used to combat these yellowjackets in urban environments. Usually, attractants are placed within the trap and combined indiscriminately, though little is known about how this design influences trap attractiveness or efficacy. Here, using the common attractant heptyl butyrate in combination with chicken extract, we demonstrate that spatial partitioning of attractants results in increased capture of the western yellowjacket Vespula pensylvanica—a widespread pestiferous species. Specifically, we show that partitioning of these attractants results in increased visitation of yellowjackets to a trap while also leading to more individuals entering the trap. Further, we provide evidence that this effect is driven by the ability of heptyl butyrate to function as an attractant to the general location of the trap while also blocking the effects of meat extract as a trap-entering stimulus. Thus, our data challenge the current paradigm of combining attractants inside yellowjacket traps, and suggest that these methods can be improved through the consideration of spatial variables and interactions. Our results not only provide novel insight into the mechanisms of yellowjacket attraction, but are also likely to be applicable to the control of other insects for which attractant-based traps are used.
Highlights
Several yellowjacket species, such as the western yellowjacket (Vespula pensylvanica), are widespread pests in urban environments, often building large nests near man-made structures [1].This proximity to human dwellings makes them a nuisance, but a threat to public health.In mid-to-late summer, western yellowjacket nests can undergo exponential growth [2], and the accidental disturbance of a nest by an unsuspecting individual can result in multiple stings from guards defending the nest
Traps containing chicken extract performed significantly better than those containing heptyl butyrate (HB), catching an average of 13 yellowjackets in 6 h, as compared to only 0.25 (n = 4, p = 0.04) in traps baited with HB
When the two traps were hung at separate locations, the difference between them disappeared and both performed poorly, with traps containing HB trapping an average of 0.75 yellowjackets in 3 h, and traps containing chicken extract catching an average of 0.25 within the same time (n = 4)
Summary
Several yellowjacket species, such as the western yellowjacket (Vespula pensylvanica), are widespread pests in urban environments, often building large nests near man-made structures [1].This proximity to human dwellings makes them a nuisance, but a threat to public health.In mid-to-late summer, western yellowjacket nests can undergo exponential growth [2], and the accidental disturbance of a nest by an unsuspecting individual can result in multiple stings from guards defending the nest. Several yellowjacket species, such as the western yellowjacket (Vespula pensylvanica), are widespread pests in urban environments, often building large nests near man-made structures [1]. This proximity to human dwellings makes them a nuisance, but a threat to public health. Though yellowjacket stings are not usually life-threatening, they are known to be quite painful, and can cause severe reactions in a small proportion of the human population [4]. Stings may pose a significant threat to pets and native wildlife in areas where yellowjackets are an invasive species [5,6]
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