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ViewAttendees 11

P-IE

Section Symposium

Fundamental Biology to Practical Management of Ambrosia Beetles in Horticultural Tree Agroecosystems

12: Assessing a push-pull strategy for ambrosia beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in horticultural tree crops

Tuesday, November 17, 2020
2:50 PM - 3:05 PM EST
Livestream
Exotic Xylosandrus spp. ambrosia beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) are destructive wood‐boring pests of trees in ornamental nurseries and tree fruit orchards. Previous studies have demonstrated verbenone and ethanol function as a repellent and attractant, respectively, for the dispersing adults. We tested a “push–pull” semiochemical strategy in Ohio, Virginia, and Mississippi using verbenone emitters to “push” beetles away from vulnerable trees and ethanol lures to “pull” them into annihilative traps. Flood‐stressed trees were then deployed in the presence or absence of verbenone emitters and a perimeter of ethanol‐baited interception traps. Verbenone and ethanol did not interact to reduce attacks on the flooded trees, nor did verbenone alone reduce attacks. The perimeter of ethanol‐baited traps slightly reduced attacks on trees deployed in Virginia and Mississippi in 2016, but not in 2017, or in Ohio in 2016. In this study, verbenone was not an effective “push” component, but ethanol-baited traps showed some promise for intercepting prior to reaching vulnerable trees. Trap captures could be potentially be improved by determining the optimal release rate of ethanol lures. Ethanol lures with release rates ranging from 0.1 to 15 g per day were tested under field conditions in 2019 and 2020. Intraspecific variability in ambrosia beetle responses to the range of release rates will be discussed in relation to developing an interception trapping tactic.