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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Wapato, Washington » Temperate Tree Fruit and Vegetable Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #365103
Research Project: New Technologies and Strategies to Manage the Changing Pest Complex on Temperate Fruit Trees

Location: Temperate Tree Fruit and Vegetable Research

Title: Polistes venom compound N-3-methylbutyl acetamide is a sex pheromone of Polistes metricus Say and attracts males of several Polistes (Fuscopolistes) species

Author
item ELMQUIST, DANE - Washington State University
item LANDOLT, PETER - Washington State University
item Cooper, William - Rodney
item REED, HAL - Oral Roberts University
item FOUTZ, JILLIAN - Washington State University
item CLEPPER, TIMOTHY - United States Air Force
item KACPRZYK, BRYON - United States Air Force
item TEIG, DON - United States Air Force
item ZACK, RICHARD - United States Air Force

Submitted to: Journal of Economic Entomology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/13/2020
Publication Date: 4/9/2020
Citation: Elmquist, D.C., Landolt, P.J., Cooper, W.R., Reed, H., Foutz, J., Clepper, T., Kacprzyk, B., Teig, D., Zack, R.S. 2020. Polistes venom compound N-3-methylbutyl acetamide is a sex pheromone of Polistes metricus Say and attracts males of several Polistes (Fuscopolistes) species. Journal of Economic Entomology. 113(12):10-73-1079. https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toaa065.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toaa065

Interpretive Summary: Several species of Polistes paper wasps are significant pests when they swarm and aggregate on man-made structures in the Southeastern U.S. Paper wasps use chemicals to communicate during these swarms, and identification of these chemicals may provide attractants that are useful for pest wasp control. Researchers at the USDA-ARS in Wapato, WA, Washington State University, and Department of Defense found that paper wasps were attracted a compound - N-3-methybutyl acetamide (MBA) - emitted from the female wasp venom. In future experiments, traps baited with MBA will be optimized for monitoring and control of paper wasps.

Technical Abstract: There is a need for attractants for trapping temperate paper wasps under pestiferous circumstances. The compound (3-methylbutyl)acetamide is a principal volatile component of venom of many female vespid wasps. We report its presence in autumn gynes of Polistes metricus, Polistes bellicosus Cresson, and Polistes dorsalis (Fabr.), as well as of worker females of Polistes aurifer (Saussure), P. bellicosus, P. metricus, and P. dorsalis. In field tests, N-(3-methylbutyl)acetamide attracted males of P. aurifer, P. dorsalis, and P. bellicosus, as well as female P. metricus. The compound may be a component of a pheromone of these paper wasps, and should be a useful lure for trapping paper wasps in the Fuscopolistes subgenus of Polistes when they are pestiferous, such as at air traffic control towers in the southeast U.S.