Trapping <I>Dasinuera mali</I> (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) in Apples

Abstract

The midge Dasineura mali (Kieffer) (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) is a significant pest of apples (Malus spp.), and the recent identification of the female sex pheromone is enabling new direct control tactics to be considered. Direct control using male suppression will require knowledge of the frequency of multiple mating, dispersal and colonization rates, and the efficiency of male removal. Males were able to mate up to five times, with a mean of 2.7 times when presented in a 10 female-to-1 male group, designed to simulate male suppression. Male catch in response to the pheromone loading was curvilinear over 4 orders of magnitude from 3 microg to 30 mg on rubber septa. Trapping using a high-dose pheromone lure was combined with oil-based traps similar to the inexpensive New Zealand "Lynfield trap" used for tephritid surveillance, to test male suppression in young orchard blocks at 500 traps per ha. Monitoring traps indicated 96% lower catch in the treated plots compared with control plots, over 137 d. However, a lack of shoot tip infestation in both treated and untreated plots indicated limited colonization and prevented an assessment of potential population suppression. Furthermore, a contribution to these results from communication disruption cannot be ruled out. Replicated transects of frequency of infested shoots from a mature orchard across the adjacent young block confirmed that colonization by ovipositing females was essentially limited to the first 30 m.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for Small-Scale Farms in Developed Economies: Challenges and Opportunities

“…These may include, for example, the swede midge ( C. nasturtii ) for which mating disruption was shown to reduce damage by 59% in small-scale trials. For this species, however, synthesis of the pheromone is currently considered too expensive for widespread use in mating disruption [115]; in the future, however, it may be possible to use it in a more cost-effective way as part of a mass-trapping system, as has been proposed for other ceccidomyid midges [116,117].…”

The use of sex pheromone lures to compare pear and apple leafcurling midge phenology

“…The delta trap design, colour, height of deployment and the type of pheromone dispenser used were all based upon ALCM research to develop lure and trap recommendations (Suckling et al 2007;Cross & Hall 2009). Two red delta-type traps were set up in each block with sticky bases (190 × 180 mm) inside the traps loaded with rubber septa as the dispenser for the appropriate pheromone (either PLCM or ALCM depending on the property).…”

Mass Trapping Drosophila suzukii, What Would It Take? A Two-Year Field Study on Trap Interference

“…For mass trapping insects, it is key that it can be achieved at an economically feasible trap density. Investigating mass trapping control efficacy and “dose (density) finding” is not straightforward, as for most semiochemical-based control measures (e.g., mating disruption, male annihilation technique and attract-and-kill), they either require large replicate plots [ 76 , 77 , 78 , 79 , 80 ] and/or specialised experimental methods. Mark–release–recapture (MRR) studies are part of the specialised methods suitable for D. suzukii , with effective marking methods for this pest being available [ 81 , 82 ].…”