Sex attractant pheromone of the red-shouldered stink bug Thyanta pallidovirens: a pheromone blend with multiple redundant components.

The male-produced sex pheromone of the red-shouldered stink bug, Thyanta pallidovirens (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) consists of a blend of methyl (E2,Z4,Z6)-decatrienoate (E2,Z4,Z6-10:COOMe), and the sesquiterpenes (+)-alpha-curcumene, (-)-zingiberene, and (-)-beta-sesquiphellandrene. In laboratory bioassays, sexually mature males attracted sexually mature females but not males, and females did not attract either sex. Extracts of volatiles collected from sexually mature males contained compounds not present in extracts from females or sexually immature males, and male-produced extract was attractive to females. Biological activity was lost when the extract was fractionated, indicating that the pheromone consisted of at least two components having different chemical properties. Individually, pheromone components were not attractive to females, but E2,Z4,Z6-10:COOMe in combination with at least one of the three male-produced sesquiterpenes was attractive. The presence of more than one sesquiterpene in the blend did not increase attraction, indicating redundancy in the pheromone signal. Male extract was as attractive as a blend reconstructed from synthesized compounds, indicating all biologically active components had been identified. In bioassays conducted at dusk in a 1- x 1- x 1-m screen field cage, females were attracted to synthetic pheromone lures. In field trials, adult female T pallidovirens were attracted to pheromone-baited traps in relatively low numbers. The profile of volatiles released by sexually mature males of a congeneric species, Thyanta accerra custator McAtee, was remarkably similar to that of male T. pallidovirens, with the exception that the former species produced (E)-2-decenal, a compound that was not found in T. pallidovirens extracts.

Male-produced sex attractant pheromone of the green stink bug, Acrosternum hilare (Say).

Sexually mature virgin adult males of the green stink bug, Acrosternum hilare attracted sexually mature virgin adult females in laboratory bioassays using a vertical Y-tube. There was no indication that males attracted other males, or that females attracted either sex. These results suggested that A. hilare males produce a sex pheromone. Extracts of odors collected from sexually mature males contained compounds that were not present in extracts from females or sexually immature males. (4S)-Cis-(Z)-bisabolene epoxide ((4S)-cis-Z-BAE) was the major sex-specific component of the extract. The crude extract was attractive to female A. hilare, but when separated into four fractions, only the portion containing (4S)-cis-Z-BAE and the minor component (4S)-trans-Z-BAE was attractive to females. This fraction was as attractive as the crude extract, suggesting that the former contained all the pheromone components. Neither synthetic (4S)-cis-Z-BAE nor (4S)-trans-Z-BAE alone was attractive to females, but a 95:5 cis:trans blend, mimicing the ratio naturally produced by males, was attractive to females in Y-tube bioassays. Bioassays in a field cage showed that significantly more A. hilare females were attracted to cotton string lures treated with 1 mg of a 95:5 blend of (4S)-cis-Z-BAE and (4S)-trans-Z-BAE placed inside a bouquet of alfalfa than to an alfalfa bouquet containing a pentane-treated control. In field cage studies, attraction of females was greatest during the late afternoon and evening hours, and female A. hilare approached the synthetic pheromone source almost exclusively by walking.

Modification of responses byCampylomma verbasci (Heteroptera: Miridae) to pheromone blends in atmospheres permeated with synthetic sex pheromone or individual components.

Trapping experiments were conducted in orchards to test the hypothesis that exposure of the mullein bug,Campylomma verbasci (Meyer), to atmospheres permeated with its synthetic sex pheromone, a 94:6 blend of butyl butyrate (BB) and (E)-crotyl butyrate (CB), or BB or CB alone, would alter the pheromone responses of males toward off-ratio blends. Exposure to the natural 94:6 blend shifted the response preference away from the natural ratio to blends enriched in BB, including a 99:1 blend, which is normally significantly less attractive than the natural ratio. In an atmosphere permeated with CB, male mullein bugs were as responsive to blends containing 20, 33, and 43% CB, up to seven times the natural percentage, as they were to the 94:6 blend. In an atmosphere permeated with BB, responses to five blends ranging from 94:6 to 99:1 BB:CB were not significantly different, whereas in an untreated atmosphere blends of 98:2 and 99:1 were significantly less attractive than the 94:6 blend. Individual components appeared to disrupt pheromone communication primarily through the creation of a sensory imbalance and modified interpretation of pheromone blend ratios, whereas disruption by the complete pheromone blend apparently involves several mechanisms, including false-trail following and camouflage. Disruption of pheromone communication was most effective with the natural 94:6 sex pheromone blend.

Response of male eye-spotted bud moth,Spilonota ocellana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), to different pheromone blends in north America and The Netherlands.

Response of male eye-spotted bud moth,Spilonota ocellana (Denis and Schiffermüller), to different ratios of synthetic sex pheromone components, (Z)-8-tetradecenyl acetate (Z8-14:OAc) and (Z)-8-tetradecenyl alcohol (Z8-14:OH), were compared in four North American locations and in one location in The Netherlands. In British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Michigan, and The Netherlands, a 99:1 blend ofZ8-14:OAc andZ8-14:OH captured significantly more maleS. ocellana thanZ8-14:OAc alone or binary blends containing 10-50%Z8-14:OH. In Ontario, where population sizes were low compared to the other four locations, trends in trap catches were similar, and there was no indication that maleS. ocellana responded differently to the tested pheromone blends. A 99:1 blend ofZ8-14:OAc andZ8-14:OH should be most effective in pheromone-based control programs ofS. ocellana in North America and in The Netherlands. Our results confirm earlier studies that a 99:1 blend ofZ8-14:OAc andZ8-14:OH captures significantly more maleS. ocellana thanZ8-14:OAc alone. However, our finding that a 99:1 blend ofZ8-14:OAc andZ8-14:OH is significantly more attractive than binary blends containing 10-50%Z8-14:OH differs from previous findings in Germany and Switzerland.

(E4,E10)-dodecadienyl acetate: Novel sex pheromone component of tentiform leafminer,Phyllonorycter mespilella (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae).

(E4,E10)-dodecadienyl acetate (E4,E10-12∶OAc) is a newly discovered sex pheromone component of the tentiform leafminer,Phyllonorycter mespilella (Hübner). In apple orchards, traps baited with 1Μg ofE4,E1012∶OAc attractedP. mespilella in British Columbia andP. blancardella (F.) in Massachusetts and Nova Scotia. The compound was identified inP. mespilella by gas chromatographic-electroantennographic analysis (GC-EAD) of pheromone gland extracts, retention index calculations, EAD profiles toE3 toE10 dodecenyl acetates, and synthesis of candidate pheromone components. Even thoughE4,E10-12∶OAc was not detected in gland extracts by GC-mass spectroscopy, several factors indicate that it is female-produced. Antennal responses to gland extracts coincided with authenticE4,E10-12∶OAc on four GC columns with different retention characteristics.E4,E10-12∶OAc andE10-12∶OAc, a known female-produced pheromone component, elicited equally strong EAD responses. In field tests,E4,E10-12∶OAc was two to four times more attractive thanE10-12∶OAc. There was no additive or synergistic effect between the two components.

Physical fitness and occupational demands of the Belfast ambulance service.

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the current fitness of an area ambulance service based in Belfast and to quantify the physiological demands of accident and emergency work. From a total staff of 230, 105 (46%) volunteered to undergo a series of fitness tests subject to health state. Results based on body mass indices showed that 52% of subjects could be classified as overweight and 10% of subjects as obese. Fitness levels were similar to other comparable samples and showed the expected but not inevitable decrease with age. A simple work related task (walking at 6 km/h) performed in the laboratory showed that 54% of men over 40 years of age and 24% under 40 found it taxing. This would favour selection for accident and emergency work on the basis of functional capacity rather than chronological age. Accident and emergency work consisted of long periods of inactivity interspersed with shorter periods of relatively intense activity, often above the anaerobic threshold. Lactate concentrations measured during a staged emergency incident also suggested that personnel may work at intensities exceeding their anaerobic threshold. The incorporation of physical fitness standards in the ambulance service may be appropriate and consideration should be given to a reduced age of retirement.