Spatial displacement of a lure component can reduce catches of two nontarget species during spring monitoring of southern pine beetle

Abstract

Local outbreak risk for the southern pine beetle, Dendroctonus frontalis Zimmermann (Coleoptera: Curculionidae),is forecast with a trapping survey conducted every spring throughout the southeastern United States. Traps baitedwith pine odors and components of the D. frontalis aggregation pheromone are used to obtain abundance estimatesof both this species and its clerid predator Thanasimus dubius (F.) (Coleoptera: Cleridae); these data are enteredinto a predictive model that estimates outbreak risk. An attractant synergist for D. frontalis, endo-brevicomin, hasrecently been included in the survey lure, but it can have the unintended effect of attracting nontarget speciesHylesinus pruinosus Eichhoff (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) and Enoclerus nigripes (Say) (Coleoptera:Cleridae) which, due to their sometimes large numbers and general similarity in appearance to the target species,could complicate sorting and counting of trap catches. Analysis of bycatch data from a previously-published, 31-motrapping study in Mississippi indicated that displacement of the endo-brevicomin releaser 6 m from the trap largelyeliminated catches of the nontarget species H. pruinosus and E. nigripes while not reducing catches of the targetspecies D. frontalis and T. dubius. Our analysis demonstrates that interspecific differences in spatial responsesto attractive semiochemicals can be used to improve insect trap selectivity. Both nontarget beetle species werecaptured in highest numbers during late winter/early spring, coinciding with the D. frontalis survey.

Citation

Shepherd, William P; Sullivan, Brian T. 2017. Spatial displacement of a lure component can reduce catches of two nontarget species during spring monitoring of southern pine beetle. Journal of Insect Science. 18(1): 1-4. 4 p.   https://doi.org/10.1093/jisesa/iex106.