Environ. Entomol. 7: 578-582 (1978) Field tests were conducted in East Texas in 1973-77 to evaluate the influence of 7 behavioral chemicals on the flight and landing behavior of the southern pine beetle, Dendroctonus frontalis Zimmerman. A mixture of frontalin plus host tree volatiles attracted flying beetles within an infestation. Trans-verbenol synergized the activity of frontalin and substituted for host tree volatiles, expinene and loblolly turpentine. Verbenone in a 1: 1 ratio with frontalin did not significantly affect trap catch. At higher concentrations of verbenone, trap catch was significantly reduced. Endobrevicomin inhibited trap catch when added to an attractant-baited trap. Exo-brevicomin showed no inhibitory effect. Traps with a 1:4 mixture of endo-brevicomin and verbenone plus an attractant caught significantly fewer beetles than traps with the attractant plus either one of the inhibitors.

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Olfactory-mediated behavioral interactions were investigated among the five scolytid species comprising the southern pine bark beetle group. Behavioral response, as determined from field trap catch data, showed that each species was attracted in greatest numbers to the pheromonal blend produced by conspecifies. Interspecifically,D. frontalis displayed no cross-attractancy toIps pheromonal blends, but was weakly attracted to the pheromonal blend of femaleD. terebrans. ThreeIps species displayed varying degrees of cross-attraction as well as to theDendroctonus pheromonal blends. More specifically,I. calligraphus was attracted toI. avulsus and, to a very limited extent, also to the maleD. terebrans pheromonal blend.I. avulsus was somewhat more cross-attractive thanI. calligraphus and showed attraction to the pheromonal blends of femaleD. frontalis, male and femaleD. terebrans, maleI. calligraphus, and maleI. grandicollis. I. grandicollis showed the greatest degree of cross-attraction, particularly in response to theDendroctonus pheromonal blends.

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Dendroctonus frontalis Zimmerman were attracted to shortleaf pines, Pinus echinata MilL, using infested shortleaf pine bolts. Response was monitored during the ensuing mass attack period by the use of sticky traps suspended along the tree boles. Uninfested host materials or host materials containing only male beetles did not elicit mass attack of trees. Female beetles either alone or in combination with males, usually stimulated mass attack within 24 h. Traps at 3-4 m above the ground caught the greatest number (26.7%) of beetles. Trap catches peaked on the 3rd day of attack and declined rapidly thereafter. Daily flight activity was greatest at ca. 1700 h during the summer. Male beetles outnumbered females by a ratio of 1:0.86. The sex ratio of trapped beetles varied consistently both diurnally and over the mass attack period. ENVIRONMENTAL ENTOMOLOGY Vol. 6, no. 5