The redbay ambrosia beetle (Coleoptera: Scolytinae, Xyleborus glabratus) is an invasive species that bores into redbay Persea borbonia xylem to complete its life cycle. Within the host tree, the redbay ambrosia beetle feeds on the symbiotic fungus Raffaelea lauricola, which is the causal agent of the laurel wilt disease. We tested a push-pull system in a 24-month large-scale experiment conducted in three locations in Florida. The repellent (‘push’) consisted of verbenone, an anti-aggregation pheromone that was applied to uninfected redbay trees in a SPLAT flowable matrix. The attractant (‘pull’) consisted of α-copaene lures . In a separate experiment, the attractant was enhanced with a visual lure. The push-pull treatments in the three locations had the lowest number of ambrosia beetle landings on the host trees. The results of this study show that a push pull system combining trunk application of verbenone and α-copaene -baited traps with visual attractants can reduce landing rates of the X. glabratus on live redbay trees and can potentially be instrumental in an integrated pest management program against laurel wilt.
