Effect of trap design, trap size and pheromone dose on male capture of two pine bast scales species (Hemiptera: Matsucoccidae): implications for monitoring and mass‐trapping

Abstract

1 The effects of pheromone dose, trap size and trap design on the capture of male Matsucoccus feytaudi were studied in maritime pine forests of Portugal, France and Italy, and Matsucoccus josephi in Aleppo pine stands of Israel. 2 Males of both species respond to racemic mixtures of the respective sex pheromone at a dosage as low as 25 mg. However, for low population densities of M. feytaudi, a 50 mg dosage was needed to guarantee male catches significantly different from the control trap. 3 Male capture increased with increasing dosage up to a threshold level for both species. Overdose repellence was not observed even with baits containing 1600 and 2200 mg of the pheromone of M. josephi and M. feytaudi, respectively. 4 For M. feytaudi, a higher dose-response was observed at medium population densities, whereas lesser captures were registered at low and high population densities, suggesting female competition in the latter case. 5 Catches of M. feytaudi males were not affected by trap design, whereas M. josephi males were caught in significantly greater numbers in delta traps. Large traps caught significantly more males of both species. 6 The relative higher male catches in the marginal zone of the sticky traps is probably related to males landing behaviour in the vicinity of the pheromone source. 7 The shape and size of the trap did not affect the bias of the estimates of male catches. However, the plate traps provided higher precision. Both bias and precision improved with increasing dose.

Kairomonal Response of Predators to Three Pine Bast Scale Sex Pheromones

“…When sex pheromones are used as a pest management strategy, then the potential negative effects on the populations of natural enemies must take this into consideration when determining the most effective dose to use. Furthermore, no saturation level was observed by predators over the dose range tested, which contrasts with the observed response of M. feytaudi males to increasing dose of sex pheromone (Branco et al, 2004). The present results indicate that generally the size and type of trap did not influence efficiency, except for large plate traps, which caught more E. crassicornis when there were high densities of this predator.…”

Landscape diversity slows the spread of an invasive forest pest species

“…In 1994, Jactel et al (1996 recorded the first known presence of this species in Corsica (9.21489°E, 42.4258°N), which is located beyond the south-eastern limit of the bast scale's native distribution range. The monitoring process involves sampling adult males with pheromone traps, as described by Jactel et al (1996) or Branco et al (2004). A trapping network in maritime pine forests monitors the spread of the bast scale across the region.…”

The sperm of Matsucoccus feytaudi (Insecta, Coccoidea): Can the microtubular bundle be considered as a true flagellum?

“…The increasing phytosanitary importance of M. feytaudi and the problems related to the cryptic occurrence of the scale under the bark of the host trees for much of its life cycle, led to the development of a number of research projects focused on monitoring, spatial analysis and control strategies (Binazzi et al, 2002;Branco et al, 2004Branco et al, , 2006Roversi et al, 2013).…”