Location: Temperate Tree Fruit and Vegetable Research
Project Number: 2092-22000-022-038-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Aug 1, 2023
End Date: Aug 31, 2025
Objective:
Objective 1: Use recently identified click beetle pheromones to improve trapping methods and characterize seasonal phenology across regions with pest species of wireworms.
Objective 2: Field screen putative pheromones in different regions of the United States, and to identify new pheromones of other wireworm pests.
Approach:
Objective 1: Pheromone chemicals will be synthesized and provided to cooperators to be tested in agricultural habitats where known species of wireworms are prevalent.
This study will: 1) Evaluate beetle attraction to lures that contain both pheromones and host plant volatiles, and evaluate the efficacy of various pheromone trapping methods, which will include factors such as trap design, placement, and lure type and 2) Document seasonal phenology and population densities of adult wireworms (i.e. click beetles).
Objective 2: Putative pheromone chemicals will be synthesized and provided to cooperators to be tested in agricultural habitats where other pestiferous species of wireworms are present. To identify new pheromones, live females will be obtained by collecting lick beetles by sweep netting and live trapping. Volatiles will be collected from live beetles for ~1 week. If the beetles do not produce sufficient quantities of pheromone, volatiles will be collected from macerated female abdomen tips. Extracts will be analyzed by gas chromatography-electroantennography to locate likely pheromone compounds, which will then be identified by a combination of GC-mass spectrometry, GC retention indices, microchemical tests, and as needed microbore NMR spectrometry.
