TRANS-VERBENOL, TURPENTINE, AND ETHANOL AS TRAP BAITS FOR THE BLACK TURPENTINE BEETLE, DENDROCTONUS TEREBRANS,1 AND OTHER FOREST COLEOPTERA IN NORTH FLORIDA2

Abstract

Trans-verbenol, ethanol, and gum turpentine were evaluated alone and in combinations as trap baits for the black turpentine beetle (BTB), Dendroctonus terebrans (Olivier). Traps without turpentine generally caught fewer BTB, pales weevils, Hylobius pales (Herbst), pitch-eating weevils, Pachylobius picivorus (Germar); southern pine sawyers, Monochamus titillator (F.), and Carolina pine sawyers, M. carolinensis (Olivier). Trans-verbenol alone was ineffective as a trap bait, but sometimes increased catches of BTB 1.2 to 1.5 times when used in combination with turpentine or a mixture of turpentine and ethanol. The addition of ethanol to the turpentine bait sometimes doubled catches of BTB and increased captures of pales weevils 3.7 to 5.1 times. The overall effect of mixing ethanol with turpentine bait while releasing trans-verbenol from the same trap versus the use of turpentine alone was a 2.4-fold increase in the response of female BTB. Traps captured about equal numbers of male and female BTB, pales weevils, pitch-eating weevils, and southern pine sawyers, but captured 2.8 times more female than male Carolina pine sawyers.