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Schoeppner E, Millar JG, Kuhar TP, Doughty H, Cherry RH, Hall G, Knowles CG, Williams L, Huseth AS. Optimization of 13-tetradecenyl acetate sex pheromone for trapping Melanotus communis (Coleoptera: Elateridae). JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY 2023; 116:1423-1431. [PMID: 37208312 DOI: 10.1093/jee/toad086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Revised: 04/19/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Corn wireworm, Melanotus communis Gyllenhal (Coleoptera: Elateridae), is an economically important larval pest of root and tuber crops in the United States. Previous work to estimate field-level abundance of M. communis has focused on grain-based larval baits placed in soil. However, this sampling method is labor intensive and may not estimate population size accurately. Recent discovery of the M. communis sex pheromone, 13-tetradecenyl acetate, provides a new method to monitor this pest during the adult stage. Early studies with this pheromone showed that different trapping methods might enhance catch and improve trap servicing. We hypothesized that placing lures on elevated traps would increase M. communis capture relative to the in-ground pitfall trapping that is currently used. We had 2 objectives for this study: (a) to compare pheromone captures among in-ground pitfall traps, on-ground pitfalls, elevated pitfalls (1 m), or elevated sticky cards (1 m) and (b) test lure longevity by aging the lures outdoors at 8-, 6-, 4-, 2-, and 0-wk intervals prior to trap deployment in the field. Experiments were conducted in North Carolina, Virginia, South Carolina, and Florida during the 2021 and 2022 field seasons. Results highlight large variation in M. communis abundance across the 4 states. We showed that 1 m elevated pheromone traps caught the most beetles. The age of the lure prior to deployment had a significant effect on trap catch. The lures that were aged for fewer weeks attracted significantly more beetles, with 0- and 2-wk-old lures capturing the greatest numbers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma Schoeppner
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology and NC Plant Sciences Initiative, North Carolina State University, 840 Oval Dr., Raleigh, NC 27606, USA
| | - Jocelyn G Millar
- Department of Entomology, University of California-Riverside, 3401 Watkins Dr., Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Thomas P Kuhar
- Department of Entomology, Virginia Tech University, 311 Price Hall, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - Hélène Doughty
- Eastern Shore Agricultural Research and Extension Center, Virginia Tech University, Painter, VA 23420, USA
| | - Ronald H Cherry
- Everglades Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Belle Glade, FL 33430, USA
| | - Grace Hall
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology and NC Plant Sciences Initiative, North Carolina State University, 840 Oval Dr., Raleigh, NC 27606, USA
| | - Caitlin G Knowles
- Wilson College of Textiles, North Carolina State University, 1020 Main Campus Dr., Raleigh, NC 27606, USA
| | - Livy Williams
- USDA-ARS U.S. Vegetable Laboratory, 2700 Savannah Highway, Charleston, SC 29414, USA
| | - Anders S Huseth
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology and NC Plant Sciences Initiative, North Carolina State University, 840 Oval Dr., Raleigh, NC 27606, USA
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Bounds on Absolute Gypsy Moth ( Lymantria dispar dispar) (Lepidoptera: Erebidae) Population Density as Derived from Counts in Single Milk Carton Traps. INSECTS 2020; 11:insects11100673. [PMID: 33023051 PMCID: PMC7601369 DOI: 10.3390/insects11100673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2020] [Revised: 09/25/2020] [Accepted: 09/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Simple Summary Gypsy moth is one of the most devastating forest pests in the Eastern USA. In this paper, we derive a simple formula to interpret catches in monitoring moth traps deployed by management programs. Abstract Estimates of absolute pest population density are critical to pest management programs but have been difficult to obtain from capture numbers in pheromone-baited monitoring traps. In this paper, we establish a novel predictive relationship for a probability (spTfer(r)) of catching a male located at a distance r from the trap with a plume reach D.
spTferr=spTfer01+rD2, r≤Rmax0, r>Rmax, where spTfer(0) is the probability of catching an insect located next to the trap and Rmax is the maximum dispersal distance for the insect during the trapping period. The maximum dispersal distance for gypsy moth is known to be 1600 m. The probability of catching a gypsy moth male located next to a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) milk carton pheromone-baited trap is 0.37, the overall probability of catching a male from the entire trapping area (Tfer) of ~800 ha is 0.0008, and plume reach of this trap is D = 26 ± 3 m. The equation for spTfer(r) is used to derive statistical upper and lower bounds (95% confidence interval) on the population density for the given value of a single trap catch. This combination of trap parameters appears to produce an effective trap: even a catch of 1 male provides meaningful lower and upper bounds on absolute population density. Applications in the management programs are discussed, and a look-up table is provided to translate the catches in USDA milk carton pheromone-baited traps to absolute population bounds, which can help design better management strategies.
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The use of click beetle pheromone traps to optimize the risk assessment of wireworm (Coleoptera: Elateridae) maize damage. Sci Rep 2020; 10:8780. [PMID: 32471978 PMCID: PMC7260174 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-64347-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2020] [Accepted: 03/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Maize seeds are routinely coated with insecticide to target Agriotes spp. larvae (wireworms). However, in order to find fields where pest control is actually needed, it might be useful to estimate the adult Agriotes population levels and thus the pressure they exert, with a low-cost risk assessment tool, such as YATLORf (Yf) sex pheromone traps. A database containing 17 consecutive years (1998–2014) of field monitoring was analyzed, with information including both pheromone-trap catches of adults and maize-plant damage by wireworms. Significant associations were discovered between seasonal adult catches in-field, subsequent wireworm populations, and plant damage/yield reduction. When each trap contained over 1,100 A. sordidus adults and over 210 A. brevis adults one year prior (Y-1), the risk of 15%-plus plant damage in Year 0 (Y0) increased by 6 times and 37 times respectively when compared with lower numbers. More than 1,000 A. brevis adults/trap two years prior (Y-2) increased the risk of 15%-plus plant damage in Y0 by 13 times when compared with lower numbers. Cumulative thresholds were also found in Y-1 and Y-2 at the same site. Yf threshold values allowed us to detect fields with a negligible crop-damage risk and thus to reduce the use of insecticides.
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