Multiple Mating in the Citrophilous Mealybug Pseudococcus calceolariae: Implications for Mating Disruption

The citrophilous mealybug Pseudococcus calceolariae (Maskell) (Hemiptera, Pseudococcidae) is a primary pest of various crops, including grapevines. The use of insecticides against this species is difficult in most cases because its life cycle includes an extended duration of eggs, juveniles, and adults under the bark and on the roots. Pheromone-based control strategies can present new eco-friendly opportunities to manage this species, as in the case of Planococcus ficus (Signoret) and Planococcus citri (Risso). With this aim it is critical to understand behavioral aspects that may influence pheromone-based control strategies. Herein, the capability of males to fertilize multiple females was investigated, trying to understand whether this behavior could negatively impact the efficacy of mass trapping, mating disruption, or the lure and kill technique. Results showed that a P. calceolariae male can successfully mate and fertilize up to 13 females. The copulation time in subsequent mating events and the time between copulations did not change over time but the number of matings per day significantly decreased. In a further experiment, we investigated the mate location strategy of P. calceolariae males, testing the attractiveness of different loadings of sex pheromone on males in a flight tunnel. Males constantly exposed to 16 rubber septa loaded with the sex pheromone showed a significant decrease in female detection at 1 and 30 μg loadings (0.18 and 0.74 visits per female for each visit per septum, respectively), whereas in the control about 9.2-fold more of the released males successfully detected the female in the center of the array of 16 septa without pheromone. Male location of females in the control (45%) was significantly higher than in the arrays with surrounding pheromone (5% and 20% at 1 and 30 μg loadings, respectively). Mating only occurred in the control arrays (45%). This study represents a useful first step to developing pheromone-based strategies for the control of citrophilous mealybugs.

Download Full-text

Sex Pheromone Mass Trapping and Mating Disruption for Control of Redbanded Leafroller1 and Grape Berry Moths in Vineyards2

Environmental Entomology ◽

10.1093/ee/3.2.239 ◽

1974 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

pp. 239-242 ◽

Cited By ~ 31

Author(s):

E. F. Taschenberg ◽

R. T. CardÉ ◽

W. L. Roelofs

Keyword(s):

Sex Pheromone ◽

Mating Disruption ◽

Grape Berry ◽

Mass Trapping

Download Full-text

Relative Attractiveness of Incomplete and Complete Blends of Synthetic Pheromone to Male Obliquebanded Leafroller (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) Moths in a Flight Tunnel and in Apple Orchards: Implications for Sex Pheromone–Mediated Mating Disruption of This Species

Environmental Entomology ◽

10.1603/0046-225x(2008)37[366:raoiac]2.0.co;2 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 37 (2) ◽

pp. 366-373 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

R. M. Trimble ◽

D. B. Marshall

Keyword(s):

Sex Pheromone ◽

Mating Disruption ◽

Flight Tunnel ◽

Apple Orchards ◽

Obliquebanded Leafroller ◽

Synthetic Pheromone ◽

Relative Attractiveness

Download Full-text

Monitoring Emergence Pattern of Coconut Black-Headed Caterpillar Opisinaarenosella Walker (Lepidoptera: Oecophoridae) Using Sex Pheromone Traps

CORD ◽

10.37833/cord.v29i2.87 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 29 (2) ◽

pp. 8

Author(s):

Bhanu, K.R.M.

Keyword(s):

Sex Pheromone ◽

Control Strategies ◽

Mass Trapping ◽

Pheromone Traps ◽

Normal Curve ◽

Flight Pattern ◽

Peninsular India ◽

Emergence Pattern ◽

Sex Pheromone Traps ◽

Dry Zone

The pheromone mass trapping programme for coconut black-headed caterpillar (BHC), Opisinaarenosella Walker under development at the south eastern dry zone of Karnataka calls for a proper monitoring system. Experiments conducted at Bidadi, Nelamangala, Nittur and Thyamagondlu near Bangalore, peninsular India to establish the emergence pattern of BHC indicated that nearly six emergence peaks of moths were recorded in 18 months. The duration of emergence and non-emergence periods of moths was approximately 41 days (SD= ±3.93) and 48 days (SD= ±4.35) respectively. The maximum number of days of moth and non-moth emergence was recorded during March, April and May. The studies on emergence pattern throughout the generation indicated that the moth emergence followed a normal curve. The moth emergence pattern of BHC in four coconut gardens at Nelamangala, Thyamagondlu, Nittur and Bidadi indicated the occurrence of spatially segregated moth emergence. The present studies provided thoughtful information on flight pattern of BHC in each generation and also throughout the year. Such basic results are helpful in designing pheromone based pest control strategies.

Download Full-text

Development of kairomone-based lures and traps targeting Spilonota ocellana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) in apple orchards treated with sex pheromones

The Canadian Entomologist ◽

10.4039/tce.2017.37 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 149 (5) ◽

pp. 662-676 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Gary J.R. Judd ◽

Alan. L. Knight ◽

Ashraf M. El-Sayed

Keyword(s):

Acetic Acid ◽

Sex Pheromone ◽

Sex Pheromones ◽

Mating Disruption ◽

Seasonal Patterns ◽

Mass Trapping ◽

Apple Orchards ◽

Organic Mass ◽

Certified Organic ◽

Release Devices

AbstractSpilonota ocellana (Denis and Schiffermüller) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) can be a serious pest of organic apples (Malus domestica Borkhausen (Rosaceae)) in British Columbia, Canada. Recent discovery that S. ocellana moths are attracted by a lure combining acetic acid (AA) and benzyl nitrile (BN), identified as a caterpillar-induced apple leaf volatile, provides an opportunity to develop bisexual mass-trapping or monitoring systems. Sticky white delta traps baited with benzyl nitrile (10 mg/red rubber septum) and an acetic-acid co-lure (3 mL AA/3-mm open 8-mL vial) caught significantly more moths than either component alone. Acetic-acid co-lures were weakly attractive but benzyl-nitrile-loaded septa were not attractive. Moth catches with AA+BN lures were unaffected by the size and type of rubber septum used to release benzyl nitrile, but catches increased with increasing loads of benzyl nitrile. Male and total moth catches were maximised using membrane release devices loaded with a mixture of benzyl nitrile and a second caterpillar-induced volatile, 2-phenylethanol (PET), in combination with an acetic-acid co-lure (AA+BN-PET). Female catches with AA+BN-PET and AA+BN lures were equivalent. Placing AA+BN lures in traps baited with female sex pheromone lures reduced male catches, but female catches were unchanged. When sticky liners were replaced weekly, white delta traps baited with AA+BN lures caught more moths than similarly baited white Multipher®-I bucket traps, or transparent UnitrapsTM. Multipher-I traps with a propylene glycol killing agent (250 mL) caught more moths than those with Vapona insecticide strips. In apple orchards treated with mating disruption sex pheromones, traps baited with AA+BN caught slightly more total moths than traps baited with sex pheromone. Weekly, total male+female moth catches with either AA+BN or sex pheromone lures showed similar seasonal patterns in both untreated and pheromone-disrupted orchards, respectively. Long-lasting release devices and an organic killing agent are needed to develop certified organic mass-trapping technologies for management of S. ocellana with the AA+BN kairomone.

Download Full-text

Relative Attractiveness of Incomplete and Complete Blends of Synthetic Pheromone to Male Obliquebanded Leafroller (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) Moths in a Flight Tunnel and in Apple Orchards: Implications for Sex Pheromone–Mediated Mating Disruption of This Species

Environmental Entomology ◽

10.1093/ee/37.2.366 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 37 (2) ◽

pp. 366-373 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

R. M. Trimble ◽

D. B. Marshall

Keyword(s):

Sex Pheromone ◽

Mating Disruption ◽

Flight Tunnel ◽

Apple Orchards ◽

Obliquebanded Leafroller ◽

Synthetic Pheromone ◽

Relative Attractiveness

Download Full-text

Mating disruption by a synthetic sex pheromone in the white grub beetle Dasylepida ishigakiensis (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in the laboratory and sugarcane fields

Bulletin of Entomological Research ◽

10.1017/s0007485311000502 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 102 (2) ◽

pp. 157-164 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

H. Yasui ◽

S. Wakamura ◽

N. Fujiwara-Tsujii ◽

N. Arakaki ◽

A. Nagayama ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sex Pheromone ◽

Mating Disruption ◽

Sexual Communication ◽

Substantial Reduction ◽

Flight Tunnel ◽

White Grub ◽

Dasylepida Ishigakiensis ◽

Short Period ◽

Synthetic Sex Pheromone ◽

Almost All

AbstractA serious sugarcane pest, Dasylepida ishigakiensis, remains in the soil during most of its life cycle except for a short period for mating. Mating disruption by an artificial release of the sex pheromone (R)-2-butanol (R2B), therefore, may be a feasible method to control this pest. We examined the effects of artificial release of R2B and its related compounds, (S)-2-butanol (S2B) and the racemic 2-butanol (rac-2B), on the mating success of this beetle both in the laboratory and in the field. In flight tunnel experiments, almost all males orientated towards a R2B-releasing source and 40% of them landed on the source. When the atmosphere was permeated with R2B, the frequency of males landing on the model was significantly reduced. Both rac-2B and S2B were less effective, but substantial reduction in landing success by males was achieved at higher rac-2B concentrations. R2B released from polyethylene dispensers in sugarcane plots greatly reduced not only the proportion of females mated with males but also the number of males caught by R2B-baited traps, indicating that male mate-searching behaviour was strongly affected by the released R2B. Similar inhibitory effects on male behaviour were also observed when tube- or rope-type dispensers released high rac-2B concentrations in the field. These results indicate that it would be highly possible to control D. ishigakiensis through the disruption of the sexual communication by releasing either synthetic R2B or rac-2B.

Download Full-text

Behavior-based control of insect crop pests

10.1093/oso/9780198797500.003.0020 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Sandra A. Allan

Keyword(s):

Insect Pests ◽

Control Strategies ◽

Insect Behavior ◽

Life Cycles ◽

Economic Damage ◽

Mass Trapping ◽

Ecological Traits ◽

Crop Pests ◽

Effective Strategies ◽

Crop Development

Manipulation of insect behavior can provide the foundation for effective strategies for control of insect crop pests. A detailed understanding of life cycles and the behavioral repertoires of insect pests is essential for development of this approach. A variety of strategies have been developed based on behavioral manipulation and include mass trapping, attract-and-kill, auto-dissemination, mating and host plant location disruption, and push-pull. Insight into application of these strategies for insect pests within Diptera, Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, and Hemiptera/Thysanoptera are provided, but first with an overview of economic damage and traditional control approaches, and overview of relevant behavioral/ecological traits. Then examples are provided of how these different control strategies are applied for each taxonomic group. The future of these approaches in the context of altered crop development for repellency or as anti-feedants, the effects of climate change and the risks of behaviorally-based methods are discussed.

Download Full-text

Mating Disruption of Pseudococcus calceolariae (Maskell) (Hemiptera, Pseudococcidae) in Fruit Crops

Insects ◽

10.3390/insects12040343 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (4) ◽

pp. 343

Author(s):

Carolina Ballesteros ◽

Alda Romero ◽

María Colomba Castro ◽

Sofía Miranda ◽

Jan Bergmann ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Visual Inspection ◽

Mating Disruption ◽

Economic Importance ◽

Fruit Crops ◽

Potential Control ◽

The Third ◽

Pseudococcus Calceolariae ◽

And Control ◽

Potential Use ◽

Control Tool

Pseudococcus calceolariae, the citrophilous mealybug, is a species of economic importance. Mating disruption (MD) is a potential control tool. During 2017–2020, trials were conducted to evaluate the potential of P. calceolariae MD in an apple and a tangerine orchard. Two pheromone doses, 6.32 g/ha (2017–2018) and 9.45 g/ha (2019–2020), were tested. The intermediate season (2018–2019) was evaluated without pheromone renewal to study the persistence of the pheromone effect. Male captures in pheromone traps, mealybug population/plant, percentage of infested fruit at harvest and mating disruption index (MDI) were recorded regularly. In both orchards, in the first season, male captures were significantly lower in MD plots compared to control plots, with an MDI > 94% in the first month after pheromone deployment. During the second season, significantly lower male captures in MD plots were still observed, with an average MDI of 80%. At the third season, male captures were again significant lower in MD than control plots shortly after pheromone applications. In both orchards, population by visual inspection and infested fruits were very low, without differences between MD and control plots. These results show the potential use of mating disruption for the control of P. calceolariae.

Download Full-text

EVALUATION OF A NATURAL RUBBER SLEEVE STOPPER AS A CONTROLLED-RELEASE SUBSTRATE FOR USE IN STUDIES OF SEX-PHEROMONE-MEDIATED MATING DISRUPTION OF THE SPOTTED TENTIFORM LEAFMINER

The Canadian Entomologist ◽

10.4039/ent131137-1 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 131 (1) ◽

pp. 137-149 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

R.M. Trimble ◽

C.A. Tyndall ◽

B.D. McGarvey

Keyword(s):

Sex Pheromone ◽

Natural Rubber ◽

Mating Disruption ◽

Polynomial Equation ◽

Order Polynomial ◽

Rubber Sleeve ◽

Rate Of Evaporation ◽

The Relationship ◽

Linear Decline ◽

Order Polynomial Equation

AbstractNatural rubber sleeve stoppers were impregnated with 10 mg of (E)-10-dodecen-1-yl-acetate, the major component of spotted tentiform leafminer, Phyllonorycter blancardella (F.), pheromone. In the laboratory, there was a linear decline in the amount of pheromone remaining on stoppers during 8 weeks of exposure to 10, 15, 20, and 25 °C. At 30 and 35 °C, the relationship was curvilinear and could be described using a second-order polynomial equation. The estimated rate of evaporation ranged from 0.03 mg/day at 10 °C to 0.08 mg/day at 25 °C; the rate of evaporation at 30 and 35 °C varied with the time since first exposure. There was a linear decline in the amount of pheromone remaining on stoppers during 8 weeks of exposure to fluctuating temperature regimes with average temperatures of 10 °C (i.e., 5–15 °C) and 20 °C (i.e., 15–25 °C). At a fluctuating regime with an average temperature of 30 °C (i.e., 25–35 °C), the relationship was curvilinear and could be described using a second-order polynomial equation. The estimated rate of evaporation was 0.02 and 0.09 mg/day at 5–15 and 15–25 °C, respectively; the estimated daily rate of evaporation at 25–35 °C varied with the time since first exposure. In an orchard, the estimated average rate of evaporation of pheromone from stoppers ranged from 0.05 to 0.31 mg/day and did not vary significantly with temperature. During the first 4 weeks of exposure in an orchard, the observed rate of evaporation was up to 4.4-fold greater than the rate predicted using the relationship between evaporation rate and constant temperatures observed in the laboratory. The potential for using natural rubber sleeve stoppers as controlled-release substrates in studies of sex-pheromone-mediated mating disruption of P. blancardella is discussed.

Download Full-text