MN Fruit & Vegetable IPM News - Vol. 1, No. 4

In human dating circles, pheromones are perhaps better known as a “special” cologne that claims to make you wildly irresistable to the opposite sex. In the world of apple pest management, insect sex pheromones speak a similar language of love—only if you’re an apple maggot, the result isn’t a long-term relationship.

Insect pheromones belong to a family of chemicals called semiochemicals, and although they’ve been around since insects have emitted them, they’re relatively recent additions to the pest manager’s toolbox. (The first insect sex pheromone, Bombykol, was first identified as the female silkworm moth’s “chemical mating call”and synthesized by German scientists in 1959.) Sex pheromones emitted by a certain insect species are unique—a smell’s equivalent to a fingerprint—and only members of the same species find a particular sex pheromone attractive.

Unfortunately, an insect (i.e., a codling or OBLR moth male) who gets unwittingly lured by synthetic sex pheromones doesn’t get the chance to ask for a dance—instead it gets stuck on adhesive and becomes monitoring data. This form of trapping is sometimes (tenderly of course) referred to as male annhilation; pheromones can also be used without traps to interfere with mating patterns behaviors—this technique is called, somewhat unromantically, mating disruption.

For apple growers, though, pheromones provide a reliable and low-tech way to find out which species of insects are present and, to some degree, the levels they’re appearing.

For more information on semiochemicals such as pheromones, allomones, kairomones, or synonomes visit http://ipmworld.umn.edu/chapters/flint.htm, or http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/course/ent425/text19/semiochem.html

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Co-Editors: Bill Hutchison, Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota, hutch002@umn.edu
Jeanne Ciborowski, Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Ag. Resources Division,jeanne.ciborowski@state.mn.us
Suzanne Wold-Burkness, Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota, woldx018@umn.edu

The Newsletter is published weekly from May through August, cooperatively, by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) and the University of Minnesota (U of MN). Reports are posted on the U of MN and MDA web sites on Fridays. If you have suggestions and/or comments, please send your contributions by 4 p.m., Tuesday to Jeanne Ciborowski, 651-297-3217, jeanne.ciborowski@state.mn.us , MDA, 90 W. Plato Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55107-2094. You can access the Newsletter at the U of MN web site in htm. format at: www.vegedge.umn.edu/MNFruit&VegNews/mnindex.htm and at the MDA web site in pdf. format at: www.mda.state.mn.us/biocon/fruitreports/default.htm

Partial funding for this publication is provided through partnership agreements with the Minnesota Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association and the United States Department of Agriculture – Risk Management Agency (RMA) and the RMA Community Outreach and Assistance Partnership Program. These institutions are equal opportunity providers.

DISCLAIMER

References to products in this publication is not intended to be an endorsement to the exclusion of others which may have similar uses. Any person using products listed in this publication assumes full responsibility for their use in accordance with current manufacturer directions.

Last Revised May 27, 2004.
The University, including the Minnesota Extension Service, is an equal opportunity educator and employer. ©1999-2004 Minnesota Extension Service, University of Minnesota. All rights reserved. Contact copyright@extension.umn.edu for information on reproduction or use of this material.