Scent Lures Research Articles

Field trials of slow‐release synthetic lures for stoats(Mustela erminea)and ferrets(M. furo)

Abstract Experimental field trials were used to compare the attractiveness to stoats (Mustela erminea) and ferrets (M. furo) of traps set with either a synthetic scent lure or with fresh food bait. One lure, containing 2‐n‐propylthietane, effectively attracted as many ferrets as did rabbit meat bait. Fewer stoats were caught with this lure than with egg bait. Made up in a slow‐release formulation in “plastic rope”, the lure remained attractive to ferrets for at least 2 weeks under sunny field conditions. Traps containing a second lure, 3‐n‐propyl‐l,2‐dithiolane, were less successful at catching both mustelid species than those containing fresh food baits. The scent lures were not attractive to non‐target species, but neither did they deter some species.

Scent lures from anal sac secretions of the ferretMustela furo L.

A bioassay of eight synthetic anal sac compounds showed that ferrets were most attracted to a mixture of 2-propylthietane andtrans- andcis-2,3-dimethylthietane. This mixture was used as the basis of an artificial scent lure. Trapping experiments used two traps at each site. In comparing trap success, ferrets chose artificial lure in preference to no odor, and chose both food baits and natural-product anal sac odor over artificial lure. However, the effectiveness of artificial lure was demonstrated by comparison between trap sites with bait-lure pairs and those with lure only. The comparison indicated that scent lures should be as effective as bait in attracting ferrets, and this was confirmed in a field program. We conclude that scent lures are valuable additions to the current techniques used in mustelid control operations, but more work is needed to increase the inherent species specificity of scent lures for mustelids and to develop a simple means of making a lure that will release odor for a long time.

Biology of the Japanese Beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in Eastern Massachusetts

The Japanese beetle (JB), Popillia japonica Newman, is a major pest of ornamentals and turf in the Northeast. Daily collections of JB adults from pheromone plus floral scent lure traps indicated that JB adults are particularly active from mid-July through mid-August and that populations peak in late July. Dissections of adult reproductive systems indicated that, while systems develop quite rapidly, JB were not fully mature when they first emerged from the soil and initiated flight. The majority of adults were not fully mature until mid-August, and oviposition appeared to peak at that time. Eggs were recovered from turf samples in early September, first instars were recovered in October, and second instars were recovered in April, indicating that at least a portion of the population (ca. 10%) required 2 years to complete its development.