Ethanol and other host-derived volatiles as attractants to beetles that bore into hardwoods

Abstract

Ethanol, methanol, acetone, and acetaldehyde-chemicals identified in the inner bark of living trees-were used to bait vane traps placed in crowns of oak trees in Connecticut. Ethanol-baited traps caught more cerambycid, scolytid, and clerid beetles than unbaited traps. Buprestidae were not attracted to ethanol. Acetaldehyde and acetone were not attractive to any family. A mixture of ethanol, methanol, and acetaldehyde was no more attractive than ethanol alone. The vane traps were very effective at catching Cerambycidae and Scolytidae, but ineffective compared to sticky panels at catching Buprestidae.

Application of Semiochemicals to Assess the Biodiversity of Subcortical Insects following an Ecosystem Disturbance in a Sub-boreal Forest

“…However, Chénier and Philogène (1989) reported a lack of response of buprestid beetles to ethanol and monoterpenes in central Ontario, and they suggest that visual cues may be more important in finding hosts. Similary, Montgomery and Wargo (1983) reported a lack of response of buprestid beetles to ethanol in Connecticut. Male P. rufipennis (Scolytidae) produces an aggregation pheromone while feeding on Picea glauca trees in British Columbia (Bowers and Borden 1990), identified as 3-methyl-3-buten-1-ol (Bowers et al 1991).…”

Host-Tree Chemistry Affecting Colonization in Bark Beetles

“…Primary alcohols other than ethanol have not been reported as being attractive to scolytids. However, only a few studies have tested methanol (Moeck, 1970;Montgomery and Wargo, 1983;Byers, 1992a); longer-chain alcohols up to hexanol did not attract scolytids in Sweden when they were known to be flying (Byers, 1992a). Electroantennogram (EAG) responses of T. piniperda to a series of straight-chain alcohols indicated that the antennae respond increasingly with longer chain length up to a maximum between pentanol and heptanol and then decrease (Lanne et al, 1987).…”

“…Ethanol, probably released by microorganisms in decaying woody tissue (Graham, 1968;Moeck, 1970;Cade et al, 1970) and stressed plants (Kimmerer and Kozlowski, 1982), is attractive to a wide variety of species of bark beetles (Moeck, 1970(Moeck, , 1981Magema et al, 1982;Montgomery and Wargo, 1983;Kohnle, 1985;Klimetzek et al, 1986;Schroeder 1987Schroeder , 1988Schroeder and Eidmann, 1987;Phillips et al, 1988;Volz, 1988;ChCnier and Philoghe, 1989;Schroeder and Lindelow, 1989;Byers, 1992a). Primary alcohols other than ethanol have not been reported as being attractive to scolytids.…”

Spatial and temporal patterns of beetles associated with coarse woody debris in managed bottomland hardwood forests

“…Many host plant volatiles, such as alpha-pinene and ethanol, attract cerambycids, scolytines, and platypodines to stressed or dying trees (Anderson, 2002;Schroeder, 1988;Montgomery and Wargo, 1983). Clerids, in turn, use these chemicals and others, such as aggregation pheromones, in their search for prey (Schroeder, 1988;Montgomery and Wargo, 1983). Many of the clerid genera we collected are known to feed on one or several of the woodborer families considered in this study (Opitz, 2002).…”

“…Some species are considered important biocontrol agents against certain scolytines and important for forest health (Reeve, 2000;Cronin et al, 2000;Erbilgin and Raffa, 2002). Many host plant volatiles, such as alpha-pinene and ethanol, attract cerambycids, scolytines, and platypodines to stressed or dying trees (Anderson, 2002;Schroeder, 1988;Montgomery and Wargo, 1983). Clerids, in turn, use these chemicals and others, such as aggregation pheromones, in their search for prey (Schroeder, 1988;Montgomery and Wargo, 1983).…”