Comparison of Different Trap Designs for Capture of Noctuid Moths (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) With Pheromone and Floral Odor Attractants.

Six trap designs were assessed for capturing noctuid moths in field trials in the United Kingdom and Argentina. The traps were baited with either a sex pheromone for Autographa gamma in the UK trials and Helicoverpa gelotopoeon (Dyar) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Argentina, or a floral odor blend. In the UK trials the Universal Trap and a funnel sleeve trap were compared; in Argentina the funnel sleeve trap, a homemade bucket trap, and (L.) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) three sticky traps: LepTrap, wing trap, and delta trap were compared. Comparisons were made between the traps and attractants and captures of noctuid moths and nontarget insects. Traps baited with the floral attractant caught a lower number but a wider range of noctuid species including Helicoverpa, Spodoptera, Rachiplusia, Dargida, Mythimna, Chrysodeixis, Agrotis, and Autographa spp., and nontarget insects. In the UK trials, the funnel sleeve trap caught significantly more A. gamma than the Universal Trap. The addition of an insecticide to the Universal Trap marginally increased trap catches. In the Argentinian trials, the homemade bucket and the sleeve traps outperformed all sticky traps in most situations regardless of crop environment and attractant type. The homemade bucket and the funnel sleeve traps are also considerably cheaper than the other trap designs. Of the sticky traps the LepTrap caught more noctuids than the wing and delta traps. The results suggest that the bucket trap and the sleeve trap have a much greater maximum capacity and possibly a greater retention efficiency for noctuid moths compared to the sticky traps.

Sex pheromones and their impact on pest management.

The idea of using species-specific behavior-modifying chemicals for the management of noxious insects in agriculture, horticulture, forestry, stored products, and for insect vectors of diseases has been a driving ambition through five decades of pheromone research. Hundreds of pheromones and other semiochemicals have been discovered that are used to monitor the presence and abundance of insects and to protect plants and animals against insects. The estimated annual production of lures for monitoring and mass trapping is on the order of tens of millions, covering at least 10 million hectares. Insect populations are controlled by air permeation and attract-and-kill techniques on at least 1 million hectares. Here, we review the most important and widespread practical applications. Pheromones are increasingly efficient at low population densities, they do not adversely affect natural enemies, and they can, therefore, bring about a long-term reduction in insect populations that cannot be accomplished with conventional insecticides. A changing climate with higher growing season temperatures and altered rainfall patterns makes control of native and invasive insects an increasingly urgent challenge. Intensified insecticide use will not provide a solution, but pheromones and other semiochemicals instead can be implemented for sustainable area-wide management and will thus improve food security for a growing population. Given the scale of the challenges we face to mitigate the impacts of climate change, the time is right to intensify goal-oriented interdisciplinary research on semiochemicals, involving chemists, entomologists, and plant protection experts, in order to provide the urgently needed, and cost-effective technical solutions for sustainable insect management worldwide.

Attractant volatiles released by female and male Triatoma infestans (Hemiptera: Reduviidae), a vector of chagas disease: chemical analysis and behavioral bioassay.

Volatiles emitted by male and female T infestans before and during copula were collected on Porapak-Q filters, desorbed with dichloromethane, and analyzed by gas chromotography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry after confirmation of attractiveness in an arena bioassay. Chemical analysis confirmed the presence of (R,S) -2- and 3-methylbutan-1-ol in a 2:1 ratio; short chain acids (ethanoic to nonanoic acid); long chains acids decanoic to (Z)-9-octadecenoic acid; aliphatic aldehydes (hexanal to nonanal), benzaldehyde and dipropylsulphide from insects in copula. Electroantennographic studies conducted with a homologous series of aliphatic aldehydes on female and male T infestans showed that, for a given dose, EAG responses elicited from both sexes increased with increased chain length up to nonanal, after which EAG-activity declined. Attractiveness of non-acidic trace components identified in the volatiles were tested on male and female T. infestans, in an arena bioassay using a video tracking method. Aliphatic C6 to C10 aldehydes were tested: hexanal (1-100 microg) and heptanal (10 microg) were attractive to female T. infestans, high doses of octanal and nonanal (1-100 microg) were Unattractive to male and female T. infestans but low doses of nonanal (0.01-0.1 microg) were attractive to male T infestans. Benzaldehyde was highly attractive to female T. infestans at low doses (0.05- 0.1 microg). 3-methylbutan-1-ol was attractive to male T infestans at high dose (1,000 microg). (S) or (S,R) 2-methyl-butan-1-ol were attractive to males or females (1-1,000 microg). Blends of hexanal and benzaldehyde (20:1 and 40:1) showed an additive effect on attraction compared with hexanal alone, when tested on female T. infestans. The study has demonstrated the presence of a number of electrophysiologically and behaviorally active compounds in volatiles emitted by T. infestans in copula that may have a role in the postulated copulation pheromone.