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Eucalyptol is an Attractant of the Redbay Ambrosia Beetle, Xyleborus Glabratus

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Abstract

The redbay ambrosia beetle, Xyleborus glabratus, is an invasive wood-boring beetle that has become established in the southeastern United States. The beetle transmits the causal pathogen of lethal laurel wilt to susceptible host trees, which include redbay, an important forest community species, and avocado, a valuable food crop. By examining odors of redbay wood, we developed an artificial lure that captured X. glabratus in redbay forests. Eucalyptol was a critical component of the blend for beetle attraction, and eucalyptol alone in large quantities attracted X. glabratus. Furthermore, eucalyptol stimulated boring by X. glabratus into paper arenas. The results suggest that eucalyptol contributes to host selection behavior of X. glabratus and may be useful for management of this pathogen vector.

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Acknowledgments

We thank two anonymous reviewers for their advice that improved a previous version of the manuscript. Jack Smoot and Russell Rouseff provided insights for and assisted with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. We acknowledge Alice Bard for her help in securing appropriate permits from FDEP. Alpha Scents, Inc. graciously provided prototype lures for field trials. Funding for this research was provided by NIFA (USDA-SCRI) grant number 2009-51181-05915.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Citrus Research and Education Center, Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of Florida, Lake Alfred, FL, 33850, USA

    Emily H. Kuhns, Xavier Martini, Yolani Tribuiani, Monique Coy, Christopher Gibbard & Lukasz L. Stelinski

  2. Tropical Research and Education Center, Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of Florida, Homestead, FL, 33031, USA

    Jorge Peña

  3. School of Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA

    Jiri Hulcr

Authors
  1. Emily H. Kuhns
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  2. Xavier Martini
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  3. Yolani Tribuiani
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  4. Monique Coy
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  6. Jorge Peña
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  8. Lukasz L. Stelinski
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Correspondence to Lukasz L. Stelinski.

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Kuhns, E.H., Martini, X., Tribuiani, Y. et al. Eucalyptol is an Attractant of the Redbay Ambrosia Beetle, Xyleborus Glabratus . J Chem Ecol 40, 355–362 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-014-0427-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-014-0427-z

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