Virgin Female Moths Research Articles

Female sex pheromone components of the cotton bollworm, Heliothis armigera

Detailed examination of abdominal tip extracts from adult female Heliothis armigera revealed the presence of two components which elicit electroantennographic responses from the male moth. These olfactory stimulants have been fully identified as ( Z)-11-hexadecenal (I) and ( Z)-11-hexadecen-1-ol(II), and detected in airborne volatiles from a ‘calling’ female moth. A third olfactory stimulant was detected only in female tip extracts from some moths of Malawi origin, and this was tentatively identified as ( Z)-9-hexadecenal (III). No other olfactory stimulants could be found, although hexadecenal (IV) and 1-hexadecan-1-ol (V) were detected by gas chromatography. In field tests in Malawi, ( Z)-11-hexadecenal (I) attracted a few male H. armigera moths to traps but was very much less attractive than the virgin female moth. The attractiveness of (I) was not consistently affected by addition of alcohol (II), aldehydes (III) and (IV), or ( E)-11-hexadecenal. Significant numbers of male Earias biplaga moths were found to be attracted to ( Z)-11-hexadecenal (I).

Field evaluation of the synthetic female sex pheromone of the citrus flower moth,Prays Citri (mill.) (Lepidoptera: Yponomeutidae), and related compounds

The synthetic female sex pheromone ofPrays citri, (Z)-7-tetradecenal, proved to be highly attractive to male moths in the field when released from a variety of dispensers in five different designs of sticky trap. When the pheromone was released from impregnated polyethylene vials, a wide range of initial loadings from 10 μg to 20 mg was attractive, and loadings of 40 μg and above were more attractive than a virgin female moth. Initial loadings of 0.5 mg and 1.0 mg remained attractive for at least five months in the field. Release rates of pheromone from the polyethylene vials under constant laboratory conditions were measured for two different initial loadings. Other isomers of the pheromone and a pheromone ‘mimic’, (Z)-5-dodecenyl formate, were unattractive to male moths and did not affect the attractiveness of the synthetic pheromone or of a virgin female moth.

Field trials of the synthetic sex pheromones of the striped rice borer, Chilo suppressalis (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), and of related compounds

AbstractThe female sex pheromones of Chilo suppressalis (Wlk.) were previously identified as (Z)-11-hexadecenal and (Z)-13-octadecenal. This paper describes field trials of the synthetic pheromones carried out in the Philippines, Korea and Iran during 1975 and 1976. These trials established that the two pheromones in their naturally occurring ratio are attractive to male C. suppressalis in the field. Both pheromones are necessary for efficient attraction, and ratios of the two pheromones close to the naturally occurring ratio are the most attractive. The rate of release of the pheromones was found to be critical in order to obtain an attractant source comparable with the virgin female moth. The bisulphite adducts of the pheromones showed some promise as a slow-release source of attractant material with a long field life.Preliminary experiments were carried out to assess the potential use of the two natural pheromones and of two pheromone “mimics”. (Z)-9-tetradecenyl formate and (Z)-11-hexadecenyl formate, as mating disruptants. All four compounds were shown to interfere with pheromonal communication between the sexes

Elucidation of the sex pheromone system of the potato tuberworm moth,Phthorimaea operculella (Zeller) (Lepidoptera, Gelechiidae): a short review

Recent research, reviewed here, of the pheromone system of the potato tuberworm moth has led to the isolation, identification, and synthesis of its components.trans-4,cis-7-tridecadien-l-ol acetate (PTM 1) andtrans-4,cis-7,cis-10-tridecatrien-l-ol acetate (PTM 2), mixtures of which are much more attractive in the field than 2 virgin female moths or each compound on its own.

Reduction of Gypsy Moth Male Mating Potential in Dense Populations by Mistblower Sprays of Microencapsulated Disparlure1

Microencapsulated disparlure was sprayed on replicated 1-ha circular plots in 3 Connecticut state forests by knapsack mistblower. Preseason egg mass counts in the 3 areas were estimated at 0 (Nassahegon State Forest), 40 (Cockaponset State Forest), and 1470 (Nehantic State Forest) egg masses/ha. Plots with 40 egg masses/ha received 2 sprays, each containing 18 g disparlure, while the other 2 areas had only a single spray. Male mating potential was assayed by disparlure-baited traps and by deployment of virgin female moths from field-collected pupae. Trap catches in treated plots were depressed more than 98% compared to the catch in control plots. Of 62 test virgin females recovered, 74% were mated in control plots but no mating occurred with 54 females recovered from treated plots. Results indicated that disparlure has promise in reducing dense populations. Also, disparlure tests may be conducted with replicated small plots.

Response of Male Clearwing Moths 1 to Caged Virgin Females, Female Extracts, and Synthetic Sex Attractants 23

Virgin female clearwing moths (Sesiidae), Synanthedon pictipes (Grote and Robinson) female extracts, and isomers of 3,13-octadecadien-1-ol acetate (ODDA) were evaluated for attractancy to male clearwings. Podosesia syringae (Harris) females attracted conspecific males and males in 3 other genera in 2 subfamilies, while S. pictipes females and female extracts attracted only conspecific males. ( Z,Z )-ODDA attracted significant numbers of 4 sesiid species, while a mixture of 3 isomers of this compound attracted large numbers of Sanninoidea exitiosa (Say). ( E,Z )-ODDA attracted only S. pictipes males. Sesiids may be especially vulnerable to manipulation by these highly attractive synthetic sex attractants because these moths are relatively scarce even at pest population density, and quite host specific.

Sex Pheromone Field Trapping of the Omnivorous Leafroller, Platynota stultana12

Male omnivorous leafroller moths, Platynota stultana (Walsingham), were attracted in significantly larger numbers to traps baited with mixtures of cis - and trans -11-tetradecenyl acetates containing 4–9% of the cis isomer than to traps baited with caged virgin female moths. The most attractive mixture was that containing ca. 6% of the cis isomer. The corresponding alcohols, cis - and trans -11-tetradecen-1-ols, when dispensed with the acetates in similar cis-trans ratios, were synergistic at 0.2 to 2% and inhibitory at >20% of the alcohol-acetate mixtures; with 0.2–1% of alcohols the catches of male moths were approximately doubled. Virgin females of ages 1–7 days were about equally attractive in the field.

An Inhibitor of Sexual Attraction of Male Codling Moths 1 to a Synthetic Sex Pheromone and Virgin Females in Traps

In field tests, as little as 0.05 mg of ( E,E )-8,10-dodecadien-1-ol acetate inhibited 95–100% of the attraction of male codling moths, Laspeyresia pomonella (L.), to either 0.2 mg of the synthetic sex pheromone (( E,E )-8,10-dodecadien-1-ol) or to 10 virgin female moths. In laboratory tests of a group of normal alcohols, CnH2n+1OH ( n = 8,9,10…18), only undecanol showed significant inhibition. Undecanol also inhibited attraction in field tests, but required about 20 mg/trap.

Spruce budworm moth trapping using virgin females

A grid of 25 traps baited with virgin female moths was used to monitor the abundance of male spruce budworm in relatively sparse populations for 12 successive years. Concurrent sampling of third-instar larvae showed that the male moth counts of one generation had a predictive relationship to third-instar larval counts of the next generation and therefore the sex-attractant trap is a feasible means of measuring budworm abundance at low population densities. But three sampling constraints must be noted: (a) a moth invasion will generally invalidate the relationship;(b)extrapolation of a moth–larvae relationship observed in one forest biotype to biotypes with different host characteristics is risky; (c) the probability of a female attracting a particular male decreases sharply with increasing population density.Trapping success is discussed with respect to location and height within the stand and to weather conditions.

Increased Collection of Tobacco Budworm by Electric Grid Traps as Compared with Blacklight and Sticky Traps1

Electric grid traps collected 101 times more Heliothis virescens (F.) moths than unbaited blacklight traps, 4.4 times more than blacklight traps baited with 10 virgin female moths, and 9.0 times more than sticky traps. Grid traps with the bait placed inside the grid element caught 7.8 times more males than did the same traps with bait placed about 6 inches to one side of the grid element.

Sphingidae 1 Collected in Blacklight Traps Baited with Isoamyl Salicylate

Collections of male tobacco horn worms, Manduca sexta (L.), in blacklight (BL) traps can be increased 10 or more times by baiting the traps with virgin female moths (Hoffman et al. 1966, Cantelo and Smith 1971). However. the rearing of these females is expensive and time consuming, and a synthetic female pheromone is not available. Therefore, we hoped to find a substitute material that could be used to increase collections. Isoamyl salicylate was chosen for evaluation because when it was used to bait relatively inefficient screen traps in Tennessee, it caught as many as 925 tobacco hornworms in a season. Also, 16 other species of sphingids were caught, but only Byles lineata (F.) and Xylophanes tersa (L.) were caught “in numbers” (Morgan and Lyon 1928). Moreover, at Oxford, N. C., collections in 12 similar-type traps (Stahl 1954) baited with isoamyl salicylate plus simulated jimson weed flowers averaged 112 M. sexta and 155 tomato hornworms, M. quinquemaculata (Haworth), each year from 1942 through 1953 with peak yearly collections of 414 M. sexta and 218 M. quinquemaculata . (However, in 1949, unbaited BL traps collected 15 × as many hornworm moths (both species) and in 1952–53 7–9× as many as the baited screen traps.)

Isolation and Analysis of the Carpenterworm Sex Pheromone1

Bioassaying procedures were developed to detect the sex pheromone of virgin female carpenterworm moths, Prionoxystus robiniae Peck. In field assays the extracts from abdominal tips of 1- to 2-day-old females attracted more males than those of older females, and tips clipped in late afternoon were more potent than those clipped earlier in the day. Extracts of sex pheromone obtained from abdominal tips or from the filter paper on which females had rested elicited greater responses than those obtained by cold- or charcoal-trapping of air passed over females. Methylene chloride was chosen from among 6 solvents for use in further extraction studies. Chemical tests on the active sex pheromone extract indicate it is the acetate of an unsaturated alcohol with 14 to 16 carbon atoms.

Female Cabbage Loopers 1 Inhibit Attraction of Male Soybean Loopers 2

In field trapping studies, virgin female cabbage looper moths, Trichoplusia ni (Hübner), attracted predominantly males of the same species. Traps baited with virgin female soybean loopers, Pseudoplusia includens (Walker), or cis -7-dodecen-1-ol acetate ( cis -7-dda) captured males of both the soybean looper and cabbage looper in significant numbers. When cabbage looper females were confined together with either female soybean loopers or cis -7-dda, male cabbage loopers were captured but the response of soybean looper males was inhibited. Therefore, it appears that the cabbage looper has evolved a secondary means, presumably chemical in nature, which aids reproductive isolation among sympatric populations of these 2 species.

Suppression of an Isolated Population of the Tobacco Hornworm 1 , 2 , 3 with Blacklight Traps Unbaited or Baited with Virgin Female Moths

Populations of Manduca sexta (L.) were reduced by 86% on St. Croix, U. S. Virgin Islands, when blacklight traps at a density of 3/mile2 were operated for 43 months; during the last 22 months, most traps were baited with virgin female tobacco hornworm moths. The collections indicated that hornworms were present throughout the year and that 2 periods of high population occurred each year, both associated with rainy seasons. When the collections of females from 9 traps operated for a year before the mass trapping began were used as a base for comparison, the yearly reductions in the mean collections for 12 months ending in December were: 60% from 1966 to 1967; 51% from 1967 to 1968; and 24% from 1968 to 1969. Annual operation of blacklight traps during the periods of maximum activity of the tobacco hornworm moth would reduce populations of the insect in similar situations and probably also in continental land masses.

Populations of Codling Moths on Washington Island, Wisconsin, in 197013

The ecology of the codling moth, Laspeyresia pomonella (L.), particularly its seasonal distribution and abundance, was studied on Washington Island, Wisconsin, in 1970. Male moths were caught from June 14 to Sept. 7 when virgin female moths were used as lures. The pattern of catches indicated the development of 2 generations per year. Sampling of the 4500 apple trees on the island gave an estimated production of 0.8 million codling moth larvae in 1970.

European Corn Borer1 Moth: Sex Attractant and Sex Attraction Inhibitors2,3

Sex attraction in Ostrinia nubilalis (Hubner) was demonstrated in the field. A synthetic sex attractant of the borer, cis -tetradecenyl acetate ( cis -ll-tda), was discovered. Field traps baited with 14 μg cis -11-tda formulated in olive oil were as competitive for wild borer males as traps baited with 4 virgin female moths. However, sex attractant analogues trans -ll-tetradecenyl acetate and 11-tetradecynyl acetate are potent inhibitors of the borer's mate-finding ability.

Virgin Female Traps to Determine Activity and Populations of Red-Banded Leaf Roller12

Virgin female moths of Argyrotaenia velutinana (Walker) in 1-gallon cylindrical cardboard traps hung in apple trees attracted males, but their attractiveness declined with age. Peak sexual activity, determined from the number of males collected in baited traps. occurred during the hour immediately after sunset. Laboratory-reared male moths marked with fluorescent powder and released in an apple orchard had patterns of sexual activity that were similar to those of native males. Of the males released, 37% were recaptured. Methylene chloride extracts of homogenized virgin female moths prepared at various times of day and placed in traps were attractive to males.

Production of Tobacco Hornworm Moths from Field-Collected Larvae12

Large numbers of virgin female moths of Manduca sexta (Johannson) were needed for collection, isolation, and identification of a sex pheromone that attracts the male moth. An outdoor method that was used for producing the moths from larvae collected on growers’ farms or from tobacco grown under shade cloth is described.

Sex Attraction and Mating of Lesser Peach Tree Borer Moths13

The sexual vigor of moths of Synanthedon pictipes (Grote & Robinson) that were progeny of larvae reared for 5 successive generations on small thinning apples did not differ from that of moths emerging from peach wood. One-day-old virgin female moths were the most attractive to males, and their attractiveness declined gradually as they aged. Males were able to inseminate virgin females once a day for as many as 10 days, but no females contained more than 1 spermatophore.

Use of Virgin Female Tobacco Budworms to Increase Catch of Males in Blacklight Traps and Evidence That Trap Location and Wind Influence Catch12

The numbers of male moths of the tobacco budworm, Heliothis virescens (F.), and of the bollworm, H. zea (Boddie), caught in 3 blacklight insect traps baited with virgin female tobacco budworms and in 3 similar unbaited traps in a 4.3-acre cotton field, were compared for 19 weeks. Although traps with virgin female tobacco budworm moths did catch more male tobacco budworms, the difference was not apparent until the data were adjusted to compensate for trap location and effect of wind. Data indicate also interspecific attraction between male budworm moths and female tobacco budworm moths used to bait light traps.