Effect of Aerial Application of Racemic Disparlure on Male Trap Catch and Female Mating Success of Gypsy Moth (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae)1

Mating Disruption for the 21st Century: Matching Technology With Mechanism

“…Federal and state agencies and private companies have attempted to use mating disruption to manage populations of the gypsy moth since 1971 (e.g., Granett and Doane 1975, Schwalbe et al 1974, Stevens and Beroza 1972, Webb et al 1988. Before 1989 various entities conducted mating disruption activities independently, with mixed results.…”

“…Many research and operational trials of mating disruption were complicated by numerous problems, such as inconsistent formulations of disparlure, relatively insensitive evaluation techniques, and lack of data on seasonal release rates of disparlure. Nevertheless, the following generalizations were derived from these early efforts at mating disruption (Kolodny-Hirsch and Schwalbe 1990): (1) a direct dose-response relationship exists both for disruption of mating communication and for disruption of mating (Webb et al 1988), (2) the degree of mating reduction is inversely related to male population density (Webb et al 1988), and (3) a peak in mating occurs during peak male flight. In addition, in 11 of 15 mating disruption trials with the gypsy moth published between 1972 and 1988, evidence for mating disruption was based entirely on the reduction of male moths caught in traps and on the mating success of laboratory-reared or field-collected females placed in the test plots.…”

“…In only one report were changes in native population trends statistically tested and shown to be significant . In later trials, Webb et al (1988) demonstrated more consistent efficacy by the use of 75 g active ingredient (AI) per ha (30.4 g AI/acre) of racemic dispalure applied aerially to disrupt mating.…”

“…This rate was based on earlier dose response tests conducted under male moth densities that were much higher than those targeted for mating disruption in STS (Webb et al 1988). Therefore, a field test was conducted in 2000 to determine the efficacy of flakes applied at 15.2 g/acre compared to those applied at 30.4 g/acre (Tcheslavskaia et al 2005b).…”

Monitoring and testing different doses of disparlure for Indian gypsy moth, Lymantria obfuscata, in a temperate region of India (Kashmir Valley)

“…They can be used, in combination with other methods, to provide estimates of population densities and to monitor populations for the implementation of envi-ronmentally sound management strategies (Sanders, 1988), with examples including insect pests of forest (Granett, 1974;Shepherd et al, 1985;Evenden, 2005) and agricultural ecosystems (Shelton and Wyman, 1979;Tingle and Mitchell, 1981;Ngollo et al, 2000). Also, disruption of chemical communication between the sexes can also be an option for control (Hussain et al, 2014) Studies have been conducted on the use of disparlure [(Z)-7,8-epoxy-2-methyloctadecane], sex pheromone of L. dispar L., for monitoring population dynamics (Schwalbe and Mastro, 1988;Webb et al, 1988), but no such reports are available for L. obfuscata, which is considered to be one of the most destructive defoliators of hardwood trees in Kashmir. Furthermore, the degree day model for different developmental stages of L. obfuscata is still not available.…”