Monitoring Indianmeal moth in the presence of mating disruption

Authors: Burks, Charles - Chuck; Kuenen, Lodewyk

Submitted to: International Conference on Methyl Bromide Alternatives and Emissions Reductions
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/9/2011
Publication Date: 11/1/2011
Citation: Burks, C.S., Kuenen, L.P. 2011. Monitoring Indianmeal moth in the presence of mating disruption. International Conference on Methyl Bromide Alternatives and Emissions Reductions, October 30 - November 1, 2012, San Diego, California. 59:1-3.

Interpretive Summary: Mating disruption with female sex pheromone offers a least-toxic, worker-friendly alternative to fumigation and fogging for control of Indianmeal moth, an important postharvest pest. Commercial formulations are available for control of this pest with mating disruption, but loss of information from pheromone monitoring traps is a barrier to wider adoption of this technology. Using Indianmeal moth males released under controlled conditions, we found that, in either the presence or absence of a commercial mating disruption dispenser, the number of males captured in traps baited with synthetic pheromone lures increase with doses of up to 30× the amount of pheromone in commercial monitoring lures. We also found that, in the presence of mating disruption, more males are captured in synthetic pheromone lures than in traps baited with females as a pheromone source. Characterization of pheromone trap results in the presence of a known abundance of males will increase confidence in pheromone traps results in the presence of mating disruption treatments and increase adoption of this technology.

Technical Abstract: Mating disruption with female sex pheromone offers a least-toxic, worker-friendly alternative to fumigation and fogging for control of the Indianmeal moth, an important postharvest pest. Commercial formulations are available for control of this pest with mating disruption, but loss of information from pheromone monitoring traps is a barrier to wider adoption of this technology. Using Indianmeal moth males released under controlled conditions, we found that, in either the presence or absence of a commercial mating disruption dispensers, the number of males captured in traps baited with synthetic pheromone lures increased with doses of up to 30 mg per lure (compared to 1-2 mg used in commercial monitoring lures). More males were captured in traps baited with synthetic pheromone lures than in traps baited with females as a pheromone source. The proportion of males captured in traps baited with synthetic pheromone lures and traps with females as a pheromone source changed with male age, but not with exposure to mating disruption dispensers. Male interaction with mating disruption dispensers was observed, and suppression of males captured in female-baited traps was quickly lost when mating disruption dispensers were removed. We conclude that high-dose lures are a promising method of monitoring Indianmeal moth under mating disruption and that male interaction with dispensers is an important aspect of the mating disruption formulation used in this study.