Development of a Synthetic Floral Lure for Pollen Beetles (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae)

Pollen beetles (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) rank among the most important pests of oilseed rape (Brassica napus). For their timely detection in early spring, yellow sticky or water pan traps are used; however, it has been suggested that the addition of chemical lures to attractive visual cues could improve trap efficacy. During the course of field trials in Hungary, we have developed a 3-component synthetic floral lure consisting of (E)-anethol þ (E)-cinnamyl alcohol þ (E)-cinnamyl acetate, which attracted large numbers of pollen beetles into large capture-capacity fluorescent yellow funnel traps. There was no apparent difference between the pollen beetle species Brassicogethes aeneus F. 1775 (earlier Meligethes aeneus), Brassicogethes viridescens F. 1775, Brassicogethes coracinus Sturm 1845 and Fabogethes nigrescens Sturm 1845 in their responses to the 3-component lure, which can therefore be used to trap all of them. Funnel traps with the new ternary floral lure were more efficient in catching beetles than those with lures containing 2-phenethyl isothiocyanate, a previously described plant-derived attractant for pollen beetles. However, the effect of the addition of the isothiocyanate to the ternary blend was not completely clear from these experiments and thus requires further studies

Catches of Euxoa tritici in pheromone traps for Anarsia lineatella are due to the presence of (Z)-5-decenyl acetate as an impurity

Traps baited with the synthetic pheromone of Anarsia lineatella Zeller (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) frequently captured also Euxoa tritici L. males (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in field tests in Hungary. As (E)-monounsaturated compounds are uncommon among sex attractants or pheromone components of Noctuidae, it was hypothesized that the Euxoa catches may have been due to impurities of the (Z) isomer in synthetic (E)-5-decenyl acetate, which is the major component in the pheromone lure of A. lineatella. Traps baited with synthetic (Z)-5-decenyl acetate captured large numbers of E. tritici, and the compound showed a clear dose–response effect. Reanalysis of the synthetic batch of (E)-5-decenyl acetate used in preparation of the A. lineatella lure showed the presence of 10% of the (Z) isomer. Traps baited with synthetic (Z)-5-decenyl acetate can be used in the future for detection and monitoring purposes of E. tritici, a widely distributed pest of cereals and other field crops. The compound also showed attraction of Euxoa seliginis Duponche

Phenylacetaldehyde: a chemical attractant for common green lacewings (Chrysoperla carnea s.l., Neuroptera: Chrysopidae)

At five sites in Hungary and Italy, traps baited with phenylacetaldehyde caught significantly higher numbers (10 to 100 times more) of green lacewings than unbaited traps, which demonstrates that this compound is an attractant. Traps with three bait dispensers usually caught more than those with one dispenser, but the difference was significant only at two out of five test sites. There was no difference in the numbers caught by sticky delta and funnel traps baited with phenylacetaldehyde. However, funnel traps could be adapted to catch living green lacewings. The vast majority of the specimens belonged to the Chrysoperla carnea species complex. Ch. carnea sensu lato dominated the catches at all sites. At some sites 3\u201311% of the insects caught were Ch. lucasina Lacroix. Phenylacetaldehyde-baited traps were attractive to both sexes, but generally more females were caught than males. Funnel traps baited with three dispensers of phenylacetaldehyde caught green lacewing adults throughout the season in Hungary