Skip to main content
ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Wapato, Washington » Temperate Tree Fruit and Vegetable Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #328989
Research Project: New Technologies and Strategies to Manage the Changing Pest Complex on Temperate Fruit Trees

Location: Temperate Tree Fruit and Vegetable Research

Title: The discovery and development of chemical attractants used to trap pestiferous wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)

Author
item Landolt, Peter
item ZHANG, QING-HE - Sterling International, Inc

Submitted to: Journal of Chemical Ecology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/23/2016
Publication Date: 9/1/2016
Citation: Landolt, P.J., Zhang, Q. 2016. The discovery and development of chemical attractants used to trap pestiferous wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae). Journal of Chemical Ecology. 42:7.

Interpretive Summary: Social wasps are a stinging hazard, including in fruit crops where they also do direct feeding damage to trees and fruits, and at tall structures such as towers where some species form mating and overwintering aggregations. Chemical attractants are of use against these wasps as lures for traps and baits. Researchers at the USDA-ARS Laboratory in Wapato, WA, in collaboration with personnel at Sterling International Inc., of Spokane, Washington, developed chemical attractants isolated from sweet baits as lures with traps that are effective in removing most North American pest species in pest situations. This paper reviews work to discover, develop, and market those lures and traps, as a commercial success, and recommends future research to further develop the application of these lures for pest management. The description of the research process also should assist direct similar efforts to discover and develop insect lures from sweet baits.

Technical Abstract: Social wasps are a stinging hazard, including in fruit crops where they also do direct feeding damage to trees and fruits, and at tall structures such as towers where some species form mating and overwintering aggregations. Chemical attractants are of use against these wasps as lures for traps and baits. Researchers at the USDA-ARS Laboratory in Wapato, WA, in collaboration with personnel at Sterling International Inc., of Spokane, Washington, developed chemical attractants isolated from sweet baits as lures with traps that are effective in removing most North American pest species in pest situations. This paper reviews work to discover, develop, and market those lures and traps, as a commercial success, and recommends future research to further develop the application of these lures for pest management. The description of the research process also should assist direct similar efforts to discover and develop insect lures from sweet baits.