Efficacy of Traps, Lures, and Repellents for Xylosandrus compactus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) and Other Ambrosia Beetles on Coffea arabica Plantations and Acacia koa Nurseries in Hawaii

Abstract

The black twig borer, Xylosandrus compactus (Eichhoff) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), is a pest of coffee and many endemic Hawaiian plants. Traps baited with chemical attractants commonly are used to capture ambrosia beetles for purposes of monitoring, studying population dynamics, predicting outbreaks, and mass trapping to reduce damage. The objectives of this research were to optimize trapping systems for X. compactus and other ambrosia beetles such as Xylosandrus crassiusculus (Motschulsky) and Xyleborinus saxesenii (Ratzeburg) by comparing efficacy of several attractants, repellents, and trap types. The ability of certain chemicals to act as beetle repellents and thus interfere with trap catch was tested for purposes of protecting host plants from attack. Potential attractants and application methods tested were as follows: ethyl alcohol pouch delivery system, ethyl alcohol vial delivery system, α-pinene in Eppendorf tubes, eugenol bubblecaps, ginger oil bubblecaps, manuka oil bubblecaps, phoebe oil bubblecaps, and an unbaited control. Potential repellents tested were limonene and verbenone. Ethyl alcohol vials were as attractive as ethyl alcohol sleeves, and were more effective than traps baited with eugenol and α-pinene. Japanese beetle traps were more effective for black twig borer trapping than Lindgren funnel traps, and were easier to deploy. Verbenone and limonene significantly reduced trap catch of Xylosandrus compactus and X. crassiusculus, suggesting that they may be effective for reducing attraction to host plants. These results show the importance of developing a combination of several monitoring techniques to enhance management procedures for the black twig borer.

Coffee Berry Borer Joins Bark Beetles in Coffee Klatch

“…These terpenes are long known as inhibitors for various species of Scolytinae [43], [44]. Our results are consistent with those of Burbano et al [45], who also found verbenone and α-pinene to have a repellent effect on the bark beetle Xylosandrus compactus (Eichhoff) that attacks coffee in Hawaii. These results reflect differences in detection thresholds to individual components in the blend of VOCs, which would determine whether a host is attractive or unattractive, confirming previous findings on the function of semiochemicals in inter-specific interactions in bark beetles.…”

The capacity of conophthorin to enhance the attraction of two Xylosandrus species (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) to ethanol and the efficacy of verbenone as a deterrent

“…Although most work to date on the chemical ecology of Xylosandrus species has occurred in nurseries with high population densities (Oliver & Mannion, 2001;Ranger et al, 2010Ranger et al, , 2011Reding et al, 2010;Burbano et al, 2012), we found that X. crassiusculus was most attracted to traps baited with both conophthorin and ethanol in hardwood forests. Although most work to date on the chemical ecology of Xylosandrus species has occurred in nurseries with high population densities (Oliver & Mannion, 2001;Ranger et al, 2010Ranger et al, , 2011Reding et al, 2010;Burbano et al, 2012), we found that X. crassiusculus was most attracted to traps baited with both conophthorin and ethanol in hardwood forests.…”

First data on the flight activity and distribution of the ambrosia beetle Xylosandrus compactus (Eichhoff) on carob trees in Sicily

“…However, further comparative studies should be conducted to determine whether other traps and/or attractive volatiles are more efficient for the monitoring of this species, as well as for mass trapping purposes. In this context, some studies have demonstrated the attractiveness of α‐pinene to many ambrosia beetles (Miller & Rabaglia, ) and the synergistic effect of this substance when combined with ethanol on X. compactus (Burbano et al ., ).…”