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Sex Pheromone of the Dogwood Borer, Synanthedon scitula

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Abstract

The sex pheromone of female dogwood borers (DWB) Synanthedon scitula (Harris) (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae) was determined to be an 88:6:6 ternary blend of (Z,Z)-3,13-octadecadienyl acetate (Z,Z-3,13-ODDA), (E,Z)-2,13-octadecadienyl acetate (E,Z-2,13-ODDA), and (Z,E)-3,13-octadecadienyl acetate (Z,E-3,13-ODDA) by gas chromatography–electroantennographic detection (GC–EAD) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The major sex pheromone component, Z,Z-3,13-ODDA, was attractive as a single component. A blend of Z,Z-3,13-ODDA with 1–3% of E,Z-2,13-ODDA (binary blend) was more attractive than the single component. A third component, Z,E-3,13-ODDA, was sometimes observed in GC–EAD analyses, and enhanced attraction to the binary blend in some field bioassays. Lures containing 1 mg of binary and ternary blends attracted 18 and 28 times more male DWB moths, respectively, than caged virgin females in field trials. Attraction was strongly antagonized by addition of as little as 0.5% of E,Z-3,13-octadecadienyl acetate (E,Z-3,13-ODDA). In a period of 12 wk in 2004, more than 60,000 males were captured in sticky traps baited with synthetic pheromone blends in six apple orchards in Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina. Lure longevity trials showed that ∼76% of the pheromone remained in rubber septum lures after 12 wk in the field.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Junying Nie of the USDA Chemicals Affecting Insect Behavior Laboratory (Beltsville, MD) for purifying synthetic pheromone components; Starker Wright and Torri Thomas of the USDA Appalachian Fruit Research Station (Kearneysville, WV), Jean Englemann of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Winchester, VA), and Steve Schoof of North Carolina State University (Fletcher, NC), for technical assistance; and Dr. Tom Eichlin of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, Plant Pest Diagnostic Branch, California, for clearwing moth species confirmation and identification. We also thank West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina apple growers and horticultural societies. This work was supported in part by a grant from USDA-CSREES Southern Region IPM program. Mention of trade names or commercial products in this article is solely for the purpose of providing specific information and does not imply recommendation or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chemicals Affecting Insect Behavior Laboratory, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center-West, USDA Agricultural Research Services, Beltsville, MD, 20705, USA

    Aijun Zhang

  2. Appalachian Fruit Research Station, USDA Agriculture Research Services, Kearneysville, WV, 25430, USA

    Tracy C. Leskey

  3. Alson H. Smith, Jr. Agricultural Research and Extension Center, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Winchester, VA, 22602, USA

    J. Christopher Bergh

  4. Mountain Horticulture Research and Extension Station, North Carolina State University, Fletcher, NC, 28732, USA

    James F. Walgenbach

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  1. Aijun Zhang
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Correspondence to Aijun Zhang.

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Zhang, A., Leskey, T.C., Bergh, J.C. et al. Sex Pheromone of the Dogwood Borer, Synanthedon scitula. J Chem Ecol 31, 2463–2479 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-005-7113-0

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