Semiochemicals for management of the southern pine beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae): successes, failures, and obstacles to progress

The southern pine beetle, Dendroctonus frontalis Zimmermann (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), is among the most destructive bark beetle pests of pines (Pinaceae) of the southeast and mid-Atlantic United States of America, Mexico, and Central America. Numerous volatile compounds can stimulate or reduce attraction of the beetle, but efforts to incorporate these into effective, practical technologies for pest management have yielded mixed results. Attractants have been incorporated into lures used in monitoring traps that are employed operationally to forecast outbreaks and detect emerging populations. The attraction inhibitor, verbenone, shows efficacy for suppressing southern pine beetle infestations but has not yet been adopted operationally. No effective semiochemical tree protectant has been developed for the beetle. We discuss complexities in the chemical ecology of the beetle that likely have impeded research and development of semiochemical management tools, and we describe basic science gaps that may hinder further progress if not addressed. We also report some supporting, original experimental data indicating (1) that a verbenone device can inhibit the beetle’s response to sources of attractant in a radius of at least several metres, (2) similar olfactory responses by the beetle to both enantiomers of verbenone, and (3) that pheromone background can cause conflicting results in semiochemical field tests.

Effect of certain monounsaturated dodecene and tetradecene acetates and alcohols on electroantennogram response and pheromone-mediated trap catch of the obliquebanded leafroller

The effect of certain monounsaturated dodecene and tetradecene acetates and alcohols on electroantennogram (EAG) response and pheromone-mediated trap catch was examined in male obliquebanded leafroller moths, Choristoneura rosaceana (Harris) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). The stimulation of antennae with 0.1 ng of (Z)-11-tetradecenyl acetate (Z11-14:Ac), the major pheromone compound of this species, elicited an EAG response. The use of 1 ng of (Z)-9-tetradecenyl acetate (Z9-14:Ac) or (E)-9-tetradecenyl acetate (E9-14:Ac) or 10 ng of (Z)-9-dodecenyl acetate (Z9-12:Ac) or (E)-9-dodecenyl acetate (E9-12:Ac) was required to elicit a response. One hundred nanograms of (E)-9-tetradecenol (E9-14:OH) were required to elicit a response from antennae. The stimulation of antennae with up to 100 ng of (Z)-9-tetradecenol (Z9-14:OH) did not elicit a response. The addition of 0.1 mg of Z9-12:Ac to 1 mg of synthetic C. rosaceana pheromone consisting of a 100:2:1.5:1 blend of Z11-14:Ac, (E)-11-tetradecenyl acetate, (Z)-11-tetradecenol, and (Z)-11-tetradecenal reduced the capture of moths in pheromone-baited traps by more than 72%. Trap catch was reduced by more than 90% by the addition of 0.01 mg of Z9-14:Ac or E9-14:Ac to 1 mg of C. rosaceana pheromone. There was no detectable reduction in trap catch when 1 mg of E9-12:Ac, Z9-14:OH, or E9-14:OH was added to 1 mg of C. rosaceana pheromone. There was a greater than 95% reduction in trap catch when sources of Z9- or E9-12:Ac were mounted at the entrances to traps, 10 cm from the pheromone source. Trap catch was not affected by placing sources of Z9- or E9-14:Ac at trap entrances. Four 1 or 10 mg sources of E9-14:Ac placed 1 m from a trap did not affect the number of male C. rosaceana captured. The study demonstrates that although a compound may have profound attraction inhibiting activity when mixed directly with C. rosaceana pheromone, this activity may be lost if the inhibitor is emitted a short distance from the pheromone. The study also demonstrates that a potent attraction inhibitor such as E9-14:Ac does not repel C. rosaceana males and must be present along with pheromone to affect the behavior of this species.