Semiochemicals for management of the southern pine beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae): successes, failures, and obstacles to progress

Abstract

The southern pine beetle, Dendroctonus frontalis Zimmermann (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), isamong the most destructive bark beetle pests of pines (Pinaceae) of the southeast and mid-Atlantic UnitedStates of America, Mexico, and Central America. Numerous volatile compounds can stimulate or reduceattraction of the beetle, but efforts to incorporate these into effective, practical technologies for pest managementhave yielded mixed results. Attractants have been incorporated into lures used in monitoringtraps that are employed operationally to forecast outbreaks and detect emerging populations. The attractioninhibitor, verbenone, shows efficacy for suppressing southern pine beetle infestations but has not yetbeen adopted operationally. No effective semiochemical tree protectant has been developed for the beetle.We discuss complexities in the chemical ecology of the beetle that likely have impeded research and developmentof semiochemical management tools, and we describe basic science gaps that may hinder furtherprogress if not addressed. We also report some supporting, original experimental data indicating (1) that averbenone device can inhibit the beetle’s response to sources of attractant in a radius of at least severalmetres, (2) similar olfactory responses by the beetle to both enantiomers of verbenone, and (3) that pheromonebackground can cause conflicting results in semiochemical field tests.

Citation

Sullivan, Brian T.; Clarke, Stephen R. 2021. Semiochemicals for management of the southern pine beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae): successes, failures, and obstacles to progress. The Canadian Entomologist. 153(1): 36-61. https://doi.org/10.4039/tce.2020.67.