Location: Temperate Tree Fruit and Vegetable Research
Project Number: 2092-22430-003-052-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Sep 1, 2022
End Date: Feb 28, 2024
Objective:
Identify and field test attractant and pheromone lures for the Asian Giant Hornet. Develop lures based off of putative pheromones and volatiles emitted from prey items. Refine lures and trapping technology that can be used to trap and detect Asian Giant Hornet in Washington State. Traps will be used to kill collected hornets or be reconfigured to allow for live-trapping, which can assist with nest location.
Approach:
Collect, isolate, and identify biologically active compounds of the Asian Giant Hornet, specifically focusing on worker produced pheromones and lures created based on the volatile profile of prey items. Extracts will be made from Asian Giant Hornet (AGH) cuticular hydrocarbons, venom gland contents, and volatiles emitted by live hornets. Volatiles will also be collected from known live prey items of AGH. Extracts will be analyzed by gas chromatography(GC)-electroantennography to locate likely pheromone compounds, which will then be identified by a combination of GC-mass spectrometry, GC retention indices, chiral GC analyses, and microchemical tests. Once putative attractants for AGH are identified, they will be formulated into lures and incorporated into commercial trap designs for field testing.
