We review the primary literature to document the incidence of cannibalism among insects that typically are not carnivorous. Most of the cannibalistic species were coleopterans and lepidopterans, and the cannibals often were juveniles that aggregate or that overlap in phenology with the egg stage. Cannibalism can be adaptive by improving growth rate, survivorship, vigor, longevity, and fecundity. It also can play an important role in regulating population density and suppressing population outbreaks, stabilizing host plant-insect relationships, and reducing parasitism rates. Cannibalism often was favored by density-dependent factors for herbivores that feed in concealed feeding situations (such as stem borers, leafminers), but also by density-independent factors (such as high ambient temperature) for herbivores that feed in exposed feeding situations.

The most effective traps for capturing cerambycids and other saproxylic beetles are intercept designs such as funnel traps and cross-vane panel traps. We have observed that adult cerambycids of many species often alight and walk upon panel traps, and few are actually captured. In an effort to improve trap capture and retention, researchers have treated intercept traps with Rain-X, a polysiloxane formulation that renders surfaces more slippery. Here, we summarize experiments that compared the efficacies of Rain-X and Fluon, a PTFE fluoropolymer dispersion, assurface treatments for panel traps that are deployed to capture cerambycid beetles, using untreated traps as controls. Fluon-treated traps captured on average > 14x the total number of beetles, and many more cerambycid species, than were captured by Rain-X-treated or control traps. Beetles captured by Fluon-treated traps ranged in body length by 350%. They could not walk on vertical panels treated with Fluon but easily walked on those treated with Rain-X and on untreated traps. Moreover, a single Fluon treatment remained effective for the entire field season, even in inclement weather. We conclude that treating panel traps with Fluon greatly improves their efficiency in capturing cerambycid beetles. This increased efficacy will be particularly important when traps are deployed to detect very low-density populations, such as incursions of exotic species, or remnant communities of rare and endangered species. The influence of Fluon on trap efficiency may vary with product formulation and its source and also with climatic conditions.

E)-6, 10-dimethyl-5,9-undecadien-2-ol (fuscumol) is an important component of male-produced aggregation pheromones for several species of cerambycid beetles in the genus Tetropium (subfamily Aseminae ⁄ Spondylidinae). Here, we describe the experiments that tested the hypothesis that fuscumol and ⁄ or fuscumol acetate also are general attractants for species in the cerambycid subfamily Lamiinae. At field sites in northwestern Indiana and central Texas (USA), panel traps baited with fuscumol or its acetate captured 331 lamiine beetles, compared to 11 beetles captured in control traps. Three species were attracted to traps baited with fuscumol as a single component, whereas another four species were attracted to fuscumol acetate alone. Surprisingly, fuscumol acetate also attracted two species in the subfamily Cerambycinae: Xylotrechus colonus (Fabricius) (males of which produce a pheromone composed only of stereoisomers of 2,3-hexanediol and 3-hydroxyhexan-2-one), and Obrium maculatum (Olivier) (for which a pheromone has yet to be identified). In an independent field experiment in east-central Illinois (USA), traps baited with fuscumol and ⁄ or its acetate captured 136 beetles of eight lamiine species, all but one species of which were also captured in the other experiment. Blending fuscumol and its acetate did not inhibit responses of species to either of the individual compounds, but synergized their activity for one species. Our results support the hypothesis that fuscumol and fuscumol acetate are widespread pheromone components or attractants for a variety of cerambycid species, especially lamiines in the tribe Acanthocinini.

Recent research has shown that volatile sex and aggregation-sex pheromones of many species of cerambycid beetles are highly conserved, with sympatric and synchronic species that are closely related (i.e., congeners), and even more distantly related (different subfamilies), using the same or similar pheromones. Here, we investigated mechanisms by which cross attraction is averted among seven cerambycid species that are native to eastern North America and active as adults in spring: Anelaphus pumilus (Newman), Cyrtophorus verrucosus (Olivier), Euderces pini (Olivier), Neoclytus caprea (Say), and the congeners Phymatodes aereus (Newman), P. amoenus (Say), and P. varius (F.). Males of these species produce (R)-3-hydroxyhexan-2-one as their dominant or sole pheromone component. Our field bioassays support the hypothesis that cross attraction between species is averted or at least minimized by differences among species in seasonal phenology and circadian flight periods of adults, and/or by minor pheromone components that act as synergists for conspecifics and antagonists for heterospecifics.

Global trade facilitates the inadvertent movement of insect pests and subsequent establishment of populations outside their native ranges. Despite phytosanitary measures, nonnative insects arrive at United States (U.S.) ports of entry as larvae in solid wood packaging material (SWPM). Identification of wood-boring larval insects is important for pest risk analysis and management, but is difficult beyond family level due to highly conserved morphology. Therefore, we integrated DNA barcoding and rearing of larvae to identify wood-boring insects in SWPM. From 2012 to 2015, we obtained larvae of 338 longhorned beetles (Cerambycidae) and 38 metallic wood boring beetles (Buprestidae) intercepted in SWPM associated with imported products at six U.S. ports. We identified 265 specimens to species or genus using DNA barcodes. Ninety-three larvae were reared to adults and identified morphologically. No conflict was found between the two approaches, which together identified 275 cerambycids (23 genera) and 16 buprestids (4 genera). Our integrated approach confirmed novel DNA barcodes for seven species (10 specimens) of woodborers not in public databases. This study demonstrates the utility of DNA barcoding as a tool for regulatory agencies. We provide important documentation of potential beetle pests that may cross country borders through the SWPM pathway.