Mass-trapping Program Research Articles

Evaluation of pheromone co-attractants for capturing Lasioderma serricorne (F.) (Coleoptera: Anobiidae)

The cigarette beetle, Lasioderma serricorne (F.), poses a significant threat to food storage, tobacco industries, and herbaria. The development of effective trapping methods with efficient lures is crucial for promptly monitoring this species and exploring potential mass trapping programs. The study aims to examine the potential synergistic effect of combining the synthetic sex pheromone (serricornin) with a blend of α-ionone and β-ionone as an attractant for the cigarette beetle, with the purpose of determining the capture potential of female individuals and exploring an increase in male response. Both laboratory dual-choice arena bioassays and field trap tests were conducted to assess the effectiveness of this attractant combination. The bioassays were performed in Plexiglas cages with traps baited with serricornin, α-ionone, and β-ionone. Field trap tests were conducted in a bakery plant, comparing pheromone traps with a mixture of α-ionone and β-ionone to pheromone traps lured with β-ionone alone. On the one hand, the results of the laboratory bioassays showed that traps with serricornin supplemented with a combination of α-ionone and β-ionone captured a significantly higher number of beetles compared to traps with serricornin alone. The same trend was observed for both males and females. On the other hand, field trap tests, while capturing more individuals with the combined attractant, did not show statistical significance compared to traps with only β-ionone. The study concludes that the combination of serricornin with α-ionone and β-ionone shows promise as an attractant for L. serricorne, as evidenced by significant captures in laboratory bioassays. However, the transition to field conditions reveals a need for further exploration and optimization to fill the observed gap between controlled and real-world settings.

Behavioral and Biological Effects of Exposure to Tuta absoluta (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) Sex Pheromone on Several Trichogramma (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) Populations.

Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) is one of the most destructive pests of tomato worldwide. Biological control of the pest using Trichogramma (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) wasps can be combined with other practices such as use of synthetic sex pheromones for mating disruption or mass trapping programs. In this study, effects of T. absoluta sex pheromone on behavioral responses and fertility life table parameters of Trichogramma evanescens Westwood (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae), Wolbachia-uninfected (W-) Trichogramma brassicae Bezdenko (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae), and Wolbachia-infected (W+) T. brassicae were investigated under laboratory conditions. Female wasps of T. evanescens and T. brassicae (W+) were attracted to the pest synthetic sex pheromone (around 62%) and calling virgin female moths (around 75%) and their responses were affected by the wasp age and temperature. Exposure to the host synthetic sex pheromone significantly reduced the percentage of adult emergence, longevity, and fecundity of female wasps, as well as the time spent to find a mate and duration of mating. However, tested populations were not affected similarly. Despite the laboratory tests, greenhouse experiments showed that the wasps were not caught in the traps baited with T. absoluta synthetic sex pheromone. Complementary studies are needed to precisely determine possible interference between pheromone application and releasing Trichogramma Westwood (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) wasps to achieve a successful integrated control of T. absoluta.

English

The red palm weevil (RPW), Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier is an invasive, hidden pest of date palms causing significant economic losses in Middle East. Mass trapping of weevils with synthetic male aggregation pheromone and food baited traps has been an important component of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program against RPW. As the viability of pheromone trapping system depends on the optimum trapping density, field experiments were conducted in two locations of Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. The efficiency of four pheromone trap densities viz., 1, 2, 4 and 8 traps/4 ha, were evaluated using the Standard Saudi Trap. In Al Hassa experiment, the treatment with 1 trap / 4ha captured an average 10.0 weevils as compared to 61.5 weevils in 8 traps / 4 ha, while at Al Qatif experiment an average of 5.0 and 49.8 weevils were captured in 1 trap and 8 traps / 4 ha respectively in 10 weeks indicating the superiority of high density trapping. Although RPW adults are strong fliers, these experiments showed that more traps per unit are necessary to capture the resident adults in a shorter period of time. Hence, our studies provide information for optimizing trap density for mass trapping program. Key words: Red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus, pheromone, trap density, date palm.

Green Light Synergistally Enhances Male Sweetpotato Weevil Response to Sex Pheromone

Sweetpotato, commercially grown in over 100 countries, is one of the ten most important staple crops in the world. Sweetpotato weevil is a major pest of sweetpotato in most areas of cultivation, the feeding of which induces production in the sweetpotato root of extremely bitter tasting and toxic sesquiterpenes which can render the sweetpotato unfit for consumption. A significant step towards improved management of this weevil species was the identification of a female-produced sex pheromone [(Z)-3-dodecenyl (E)-2-butenoate] to which males are highly attracted. Reported here are results of research that documents a nearly 5-fold increase in male sweetpotato weevil catch in traps baited with this pheromone and a green light provided by a solar-powered, light-emitting diode (LED). The combination of olfactory and night-visible visual cues significantly enhanced trap effectiveness for this nighttime-active insect species. These results provide promise for improved sweetpotato weevil detection and suppression in mass trapping programs.

Modelling female mating success during mass trapping and natural competitive attraction of searching males or females

AbstractSimulation models of insects encountering sex pheromone with or without mass trapping in which the searching sex is either male (moths and many insect species) or female (some true bugs, beetles, and flies) were developed. The searching sex moved as a correlated random walk, while the opposite sex remained stationary (calling) and released an attractive sex pheromone. The searching sex was caught when encountering a pheromone‐baited trap, and females mated when encountering a male. An encounter with pheromone was defined by the searcher's interception of a circle termed the effective attraction radius (EARc). Parameters of movement (speed and duration), initial numbers of calling sex and searching sex, number of traps, area, and EARc of traps and calling sex were varied individually to evaluate effects on the percentage of females mating. In the natural condition without traps, female mating success in both models was identical. Increasing the EARc of the calling sex caused diminishing increases in female mating success, suggesting that evolution of larger pheromone release and EARc is limited by increasing costs (production/sensitivity) relative to diminishing increases and benefits of mating encounters. With mass trapping, increasing the EARc of traps or density of traps caused similar declines in female mating in both models, but the female‐searching model predicted slightly lower mating success than the male‐searching model. Increasing the EARc of calling insects or the initial density of insects caused similar increases in female mating in both models, but again the female‐searching model had slightly lower mating success than the male‐searching model. The models have implications for mating lek formation and for understanding the variables affecting the success of mass trapping programs for insect pests with either male or female sex pheromones.

Efficient Mass Trapping: Catching the Pest, Calliphora vicina, (Diptera, Calliphoridae), of Norwegian Stockfish Production

Attracting high numbers of adult females, extensive trapping prior to damage, and a pest species with a predominantly univoltine lifecycle, are important factors contributing to the success of mass-trapping programs. We conducted a mass-trapping experiment over 4years, using yellow sticky traps and odor-baited funnel traps for control of the blowfly Calliphora vicina in stockfish production areas in Loften, Norway. Blowfly-related damage to fish in five mass-trapping sites was compared with damage at five control sites. Population monitoring established a connection between blowfly activity and damage. Blowfly activity in the period from mid-April to mid-May was correlated with damage to fish in the same year. Interception (sticky) traps, based on visual cues, caught blowflies during the early drying period, whereas odor-baited funnel traps were more effective during the later drying period, and continued to catch flies throughout the year until late autumn. In the funnel traps, 80% of the captured flies were females. Compared to control sites, mass trapping reduced overall damage to stockfish by 8-31%. In the final year of the experiment, we compared mass-trapping and control treatments, controlling for drying time period and sun exposure (which both contribute to damage), and found a damage reduction of 63%. Thus, mass-trapping with a female-attracting kairomone, and using traps of different functionality to extend the critical trapping period, in accord with pest phenology, is an efficient method for control of C. vicina in stockfish production.

Olfactory and visual responses of the longlegged chafer Hoplia spectabilis Medvedev (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in Qinghai Province, China

Monitoring traps and control methods are needed for the long-legged chafer, Hoplia spectabilis Medvedev, which has recently reached outbreak numbers in pastureland of Qinghai Province, China. Field trapping experiments, using cross-pane funnel (barrier) traps, showed that H. spectabilis adults were not significantly attracted to branches of the host plant Dasiphora fructicosa (L.) Rydb. However, beetles were slightly attracted to similar host plant branches infested by conspecific beetles, possibly owing to weakly attractive volatiles, primarily (Z)-3-hexenyl acetate, released from beetle-damaged host leaves. This compound was weakly attractive when released from traps. However, H. spectabilis beetles showed strong visual responses to yellow- or white-painted trap panes, with weaker responses to blue, red or green panes, and least response to black panes. Black traps at 0.2-1.5 m above ground intercepted significantly more beetles than traps at 2.5 m. The mean flight height based on trap catches was 0.88 m (SD = 0.76), yielding an effective flight layer of 1.9 m. Flight response of beetles to colored barrier traps occurred between 10:00 and 18:00, and peaked between 12:00-14:00, when daily temperatures reached their maximum. Unbaited yellow or white cross-pane funnel traps are recommended for both monitoring and mass-trapping programs against this economically and ecologically important scarab beetle.

Attractants for the Green June Beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)

The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate lures for adult green June beetles, Cotinis nitida (L.) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), for future use in a mass trapping program. Volatile organic compounds collected from headspace of green June beetles feeding on fermenting ripe apple (Malus spp.), the natural lure that elicits feeding aggregations, were identified and confirmed by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. Yellow funnel traps baited with 91% isopropanol or the five component blend were equally effective in eliciting aggregation behavior and often more attractive to green June beetles than the natural lure. In 2008, three trap lines adjacent and parallel to the perimeter of two vineyards, each with 12 Xpando yellow funnel traps baited with either 91% isopropanol or the five component blend, differed in catch of green June beetles across sample dates, and sample date by bait interaction but there were no differences among these two baits. A season total of 324,007 green June beetle were captured by these 36 baited traps. A brief review is included of fermentation volatiles attractive to insects. We conclude with the potential cost to use mass trapping against adult green June beetles.

Differential Bio-Activity ofIpsandDendroctonus(Coleoptera: Scolytidae) Pheromone Components forMonochamus clamatorandM. scutellatus(Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)

Male and female Monochamus clamator (LeConte) and M. scutellatus (Say) are able to detect bark beetle pheromone components electrophysiologically and are attracted to traps baited with blends of pheromone components of scolytid bark beetles. We investigated the effect of individual pheromone components (ipsenol, ipsdienol, 3-methyl-2-cyclohexen-1-one (MCH), frontalin, verbenone, cis- and trans-verbenol, and endo- and exo-brevicomin) on Monochamus Dejean trap catches. Only traps baited with ipsenol and/or ipsdienol together with the host volatiles ethanol and α-pinene caught significantly more male and female M. scutellatus and M. clamator than traps baited with host volatiles alone. Ipsenol and ipsdienol are aggregation pheromones of secondary bark beetles in the genus Ips DeGeer while the other components are pheromones of primary bark beetles in the genus Dendroctonus Erichson. The former should be the most reliable indicators of suitable host material because most Ips spp. attack weakened or moribund trees or trees already successfully under attack by primary bark beetles, and their pheromones may be more persistent in space and time than those of Dendroctonus spp. In two successive years in an operational (commercial) mass-trapping program, traps baited with ethanol, α-pinene, and ipsenol captured twice as many beetles as traps baited with host volatiles alone. These results suggest that operational monitoring or mass-trapping programs could be improved significantly by the inclusion of ipsenol in baits at a minimal cost.

Control of ambrosia beetle damage by mass trapping at a dryland log sorting area in British Columbia

A mass trapping program for ambrosia beetles at the Sooke dryland sorting area of Canadian Pacific Forest Products in British Columbia captured close to 16.5 million beetles over 12 years. Spring weather conditions influenced trapping of the main pest species, Trypodendron lineatum, the populations of which fluctuated considerably. Gnathotrichus sulcatus populations declined gradually, presumably because of the trapping and improvements in inventory management. A benefit/cost estimate, based on the assumption that the number of beetles removed can be correlated with degrade losses, yielded a benefit of 5 to 1 and an estimated saving of $400,000 over the 12 years. The trapping program was concluded to have been operationally and economically successful. Key words: Trypodendron lineatum, Gnathotrichus sulcatus, Gnathotrichus retusus, Coleoptera, Scolytidae, pheromones, benefit/cost estimate

The use of mark–recapture to evaluate a pheromone-based mass trapping program for ambrosia beetles in a sawmill

Trypodendronlineatum (Olivier) and Gnathotrichussulcatus (LeConte) beetles (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) were marked with fluorescent powder and released in a sawmill area during a pheromone-based mass trapping program for ambrosia beetles. Trapping efficiency was estimated at 5.9% for T. lineatum and 5.5% for G. sulcatus. This technique had good potential for obtaining information on trapping efficiency, population size, and beetle dispersal patterns. Suggestions are given for improving the accuracy of the information obtained and for additional uses of mark-recapture in evaluating and optimizing mass trapping programs for ambrosia beetles.

Bekämpfung von Ips sexdentatus (Boern.) (Col., Scolytidae) mit synthetischem Lockstoff Ipslure

AbstractMass trapping of Ips sexdentatus (Boern.) with the synthetic pheromone Ipslure Previous field experiments in Maçka/Turkey forests demonstrated that pheromone traps baited with ipsdienol and cisverbenol were successful against Ips sexdentatus. However, before a mass trapping program using a commercially produced pheromone IPSLURE could be undertaken, it was necessary to test this material against I. sexdentatus.IPSLURE dispensers containing 1500 mg 2‐methyl‐3‐buten‐2‐ol, 70 mg (S)‐cis‐verbenol and 15 mg ipsdienol were placed in 10 funnel traps and 38 plastic window traps, respectively. During a six week period an average of 4024 I. sexdentatus beetles were caught in each funnel trap and 2292 beetles in each window trap, respectively. Additionally, 283 non target insects, representing seventeen different families, were also caught.ZusammenfassungEine Massenvermehrung von Ips sexdentatus in Nordost‐Anatolien bot Gelegenheit zu prüfen, ob die für Ips typographus erhältlichen Pheromon‐Dispenser auch zur Überwachung von Ips sexdentatus geeignet sind. Dies hat sich bestätigt. Trichterfallen sind effektiver als Fensterfallen. Zur Schonung der anderen Insekten kommen für eine routinemäßige Anwendung in der Praxis schwarze Flachtrichterfallen (Röchling‐Haren KG) in Betracht.

A SURVEY FOR THE AMBROSIA BEETLES TRYPODENDRON LINEATUM AND GNATHOTRICHUS RETUSUS (COLEOPTERA: SCOLYTIDAE) IN A SAWMILL USING PHEROMONE-BAITED TRAPS

AbstractThe pheromones lineatum and (+)-sulcatol were used in traps in a sawmill to survey the ambrosia beetles Trypodendron lineatum (Olivier) and Gnathotrichus retusus (LeConte) respectively. Spatial and temporal distribution patterns for both species were identified. This information can be used for the establishment of a pheromone-based mass-trapping program for ambrosia beetles. The addition of ethanol and α-pinene to traps baited with (+)-sulcatol significantly increased the catches of G. retusus.

Survey and mass trapping of ambrosia beetles (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) in timber processing areas on Vancouver Island

The spatial distribution and population estimates of overwintering Trypodendronlineatum (Olivier) were determined by sampling beetles in the duff at four dryland log sorts. The temporal and spatial distributions of flying T. lineatum, Gnathotrichussulcatus (LeConte), and G. retusus (LeConte) over 3 years were determined by catches by pheromone-baited traps in three dryland sorts. At one dryland sort the distribution data from survey trapping and overwintering sampling were used to establish optimal trap placement for the subsequent year's trapping. At this dryland sort the trapping effort was expanded from a survey into a mass trapping program, using a barrier strategy. The total catches of all three species in 1979, 1980, and 1981 were 120 000, 690 000, and 2 800 000, respectively. Approximately 66 and 79% of the captured beetles in 1980 and 1981, respectively, were T. lineatum. When compared with high and low population estimates of overwintering T. lineatum the catches of this species represented 1–3, 12–21, and 44–77% of the total overwintering population for the respective years. For each year, the following winter's population remained constant relative to previous years. A mass trapping program, utilizing synthetic pheromones, multiple funnel traps, and sticky vane traps, was recommended in conjunction with improved log inventory management.

Effects of Codling Moth Pheromone Trap Placement, Orientation and Density on Trap Catches

Identification of the significant factors that affect codling moth pheromone trap catches is necessary for the establishment of standardized trapping procedures and optimal mass-trapping programs. Trap catches were higher when traps were placed toward the tops of apple trees and outside the canopy. Traps that were aligned parallel to the prevailing evening air movement caught more moths than traps aligned perpendicularly. As trap/tree density increased in a given area, the number of moths caught per trap decreased, but at a rate that was less than would be expected if the total catch of all the traps were the same for all densities. The total number of moths caught per plot increased as the trap/tree density increased. The two highest densities tested (1 trap/tree and 1 trap/2 trees) caught the most moths. These densities did not reduce the mating success of tethered females below that of females in an untrapped plot which suggests that mass-trapping in an orchard with a high population density of moths is not feasible as part of a pest management program.

Mass Trapping of Male Lesser Peachtree Borer Moths with Virgin-Female Traps on Washington Island, Wisconsin, 19702123

A mass-trapping program, consisting of up to 1000 traps baited with virgin females of Synanthedon pictipes (Grote & Robinson) to catch male moths, was initiated in 1970 on Washington Island, Wis. The traps caught 7900 native male moths during the season. A larval survey made by examining the native and cultivated cherry trees in May 1970 showed a population of 24,529 borers. From this larval survey and allowing for some natural mortality, it was estimated that about 8200 male moths emerged in 1970. Five releases of sterile-male moths made throughout the island showed that recovery percentages ranged from 38 to 87%. The high recovery percentages indicated that native male moths were captured soon after they emerged.