Mass trapping

Similar pheromone blends are produced by other species of bark beedes and these complex aggregation pheromones have been used extensively in mass trapping programs, capturing millions of bark beeties and preventing them from further attacking valuable forest resources. 

Figure 7.7. Impact of the soot mass trapped in the DPF on the exhaust back pressure.

Pheromones are used primarily for monitoring pest populations, but their use as pest suppression tools has also been proposed. These alternative uses include mass trapping, mating disruption, and lure and kill. Although these approaches have been tried with varying levels of success in field and orchard crop systems, they have had limited application for the management of stored-product insects. 

Trematerra, P. 1988. Suppression of Ephestia kuehniella Zeller by using a mass-trapping method. 

Trematerra, P. and Battaina, F. 1987. Control of Ephestia kuehniella Zeller by mass-trapping. J. Appl. Entomol. 104, 336-340. 

Mass Trapping of Ips typographic with Pheromone-Baited Traps... 

During the summers of 1979-1982 traps were placed in open areas near trees killed previously. To evaluate the efficiency of the mass trapping campaign 1 % of the traps were selected at random and their catch counted. The results are shown in Table I (3)... 

Table II. Results from mass trapping I. typographus in Norway 1979-1982.

I. typographus. The great decrease in number of beetle killed trees is mainly attributed to the mass trapping. We hope this summer s program will bring the beetle population down to an acceptable level. In the years to come we plan to continue a low level with sanitation. ... 

James, D.G., Bartelt, R.J. and Moore, C.J. (1996b). Mass-trapping of Carpophilus spp. (Coleoptera Nitidulidae) in stone fruit orchards using synthetic aggregation pheromones and a coattractant development of a strategy for population suppression. J. Chem. Ecol., 22,1541-1556. 

An intense interest in insect pheromones has been generated around the world in the past few years as applications have been developed to use these biologically active compounds to detect, survey, monitor populations and, in some cases, to control the target insects. Pheromones have been identified for ca. 250 insect species ( 1) most of which are Lepidoptera. Many of these compounds or blends of compounds have been used as baits in survey or monitoring traps to detect or estimate insect populations some have also been successfully applied for mass trapping of males and as mating disruptants in insect control programs. 

In addition to mass trapping, felling and removal of beetle-infested trees was the main short-term measure. It was strongly recommended that infested trees should be removed from the forest in June-July before the adult of the next generation had emerged. Traps were to be deployed preferably in areas with minor infestation, one trap for every 3-5 trees killed by the beetle the previous year. Trapping was not recommended for saving old stands with extensive beetle infestation or stands severely weakened by... 

The mass trapping program is not easy to evaluate from a scientific viewpoint. We can estimate the number of trapped beetles, but we are unable to determine the size of the natural population. We can also compare tree mortality before and after the trapping program, but we know little about the resistance of the trees and the primary reason for mortality. The importance of having control areas without traps is obvious. However, the establishment of a research program which includes control areas entails many difficulties, practical as well as scientific. 

For suppression or control of insect populations, attractant pheromones or attractants may be used in several ways (a) in combination with baits, toxicants, sterilants or pathogens (b) mass-trapping or (c) to disrupt mating. 

DIRECT. The only direct control measure is insertion of a wire into the entry hole for mechanical destruction of the caterpillars. For control of the leopard moth, however, positive results have also been obtained with mass traps (12 pheromone traps/ha). 

Mass trapping works best if your orchard is isolated from other sources of codling moth and other fruit pests (at least 1 mile away from other apple, pear, or walnut trees), since new pests migrate from neighboring orchards. 

Trematerra, P. (1994) The use of sex pheromones to control Ephestia kuehniella Zeller (Mediterranean flour moth) in flour mills by mass trapping and attracticide (lure and kill) methods. In Stored Product Protection. Proceedings of the 6th International Working Conference on Stored Product Protection, Canberra, Australia, Ilighley, E., Wright, E.J., Banks, H.J. and Champ, B.R. (eds), pp. 375-382. CAB International, Wallingford, UK. 

A related substance with a triple bond, the acetyl-ester of hexadecenynol, is the sole female sex pheromone of the pine processionary moth (Thaume-topoea pityocampa) (Quero et al., 1997) and may be used for mass trapping. 

Divalent anionic impurities with filled valence-electron shells such as the chalcogenides are potential effective-mass traps for holes, but these ions have a propensity to cluster. The resultant dimers and higher order aggregates... 

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