Start Date
April 2024
Location
CLC 207
Abstract
Longhorned beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) are woodboring insects that feed in a variety of woody plant materials. They are ecologically important as decomposers but also can kill or damage trees. In particular, non-native longhorned beetles pose a serious threat to managed and natural forests, as these insects are at risk of being introduced through international commerce. Therefore, there is a need to develop effective trapping techniques to monitor for potential pests and to refine those trapping techniques as new threats are discovered. In the present research, we assessed the attraction of longhorned beetles to a variety of commercially available attractant lures. We deployed traps baited with a multi-component attractant lure used by the USDA Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey (CAPS) alone and in combination with lures containing two additional chemical components known to attract longhorned beetles outside of North America, namely 3-hydroxy octan-2-one and 2,3-octanediol. Traps baited with the existing multi-component lure alone attracted significantly more adult beetles than did traps baited with the novel attractants (alone or in combination with the CAPS lure) or control traps. Our results also suggest the novel attractants may have a repellent effect. Thus, trapping programs for longhorned beetles should carefully consider the potential costs and benefits of adding new components when monitoring for potential pest species.
Assessing response of cerambycid species in southwest Ohio to potential attractant lures
CLC 207
Longhorned beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) are woodboring insects that feed in a variety of woody plant materials. They are ecologically important as decomposers but also can kill or damage trees. In particular, non-native longhorned beetles pose a serious threat to managed and natural forests, as these insects are at risk of being introduced through international commerce. Therefore, there is a need to develop effective trapping techniques to monitor for potential pests and to refine those trapping techniques as new threats are discovered. In the present research, we assessed the attraction of longhorned beetles to a variety of commercially available attractant lures. We deployed traps baited with a multi-component attractant lure used by the USDA Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey (CAPS) alone and in combination with lures containing two additional chemical components known to attract longhorned beetles outside of North America, namely 3-hydroxy octan-2-one and 2,3-octanediol. Traps baited with the existing multi-component lure alone attracted significantly more adult beetles than did traps baited with the novel attractants (alone or in combination with the CAPS lure) or control traps. Our results also suggest the novel attractants may have a repellent effect. Thus, trapping programs for longhorned beetles should carefully consider the potential costs and benefits of adding new components when monitoring for potential pest species.
