Pesticides for Stored Products
251
in pest management techniques, an area of specialization in which wide experience has not yet been gained.
The biological activity of pheromones is extremely high, and only a few
molecules are required to induce behavioral responses. Because the quantities
needed are infinitesimally small, as well as because of their extremely low
mammalian toxicity and their lack of persistence, pheromones possess great
potential for use in pest management systems without causing environmental
contamination. However, without an effective delivery system and a careful
study of the reproductive biology of the insect, it is just as easy to misuse this
potentially powerful technique as it is to misuse conventional pesticides.
The complexity of pheromone systems has become increasingly clear as
improved analytical techniques are applied to their study. Formerly many insects
were required for conventional chemical techniques of extraction, isolation, and
identification. Now it is sometimes possible to identify pheromonal components
from a single insect. The sex pheromones of many Lepidoptera and other insects
appear to be multicomponent mixtures that differ in component ratio as well as
in chemical composition. This knowledge is particularly important in trapping
insects, as well as in other behavioral studies, because the precise pheromonal
blend must be reproduced for best results.
Other chemicals that affect behavior might also be used in management of
stored-product pests. For example, the use of repellents for treating areas or
packaging might be useful (DeLong, 1962). Indeed, in one test cockroaches did
not enter food-containing cartons for over a week when the cartons were treated
with substituted sulfonamides (McGovern et al .• 1975).
9.4.2. 1. Trapping
Burkholder (1976, 1977) and others have shown the value of trapping
techniques for management of stored-product insects. Barak and Burkholder
(1976) studied the seasonal patterns of emergence of Attagenus and Trogoderma
in warehouses in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, by using corrugated paper traps baited
with pheromones. They were able to detect new infestations and to demonstrate
that high populations of A. megatoma (F.) and T. variabile (Ballion) existed.
Levinson and Levinson (1979) have reported their success in mass-trapping
of insects in grain stores. They used contact traps that release the sex pheromone
system of the female khapra beetle, (Z)- and (E)-trogodermal [(Z)- and (E)-14methyl-8-hexadecenal], in the ratio 10 : 1. Both components are capable of
stimulating males of five dermestid species [T. granarium, T. variabile, T.
inclusum (LeConte), T. simplex Jayne, and T. glabrum Herbst]. In other tests,
sticky traps containing a source that releases (Z,E)-9,12-tetradecadien-l-01 acetate (ZETA) or (Z,E)-7, 11-hexadecadien-l-01 acetate were used for phyticid and
251
in pest management techniques, an area of specialization in which wide experience has not yet been gained.
The biological activity of pheromones is extremely high, and only a few
molecules are required to induce behavioral responses. Because the quantities
needed are infinitesimally small, as well as because of their extremely low
mammalian toxicity and their lack of persistence, pheromones possess great
potential for use in pest management systems without causing environmental
contamination. However, without an effective delivery system and a careful
study of the reproductive biology of the insect, it is just as easy to misuse this
potentially powerful technique as it is to misuse conventional pesticides.
The complexity of pheromone systems has become increasingly clear as
improved analytical techniques are applied to their study. Formerly many insects
were required for conventional chemical techniques of extraction, isolation, and
identification. Now it is sometimes possible to identify pheromonal components
from a single insect. The sex pheromones of many Lepidoptera and other insects
appear to be multicomponent mixtures that differ in component ratio as well as
in chemical composition. This knowledge is particularly important in trapping
insects, as well as in other behavioral studies, because the precise pheromonal
blend must be reproduced for best results.
Other chemicals that affect behavior might also be used in management of
stored-product pests. For example, the use of repellents for treating areas or
packaging might be useful (DeLong, 1962). Indeed, in one test cockroaches did
not enter food-containing cartons for over a week when the cartons were treated
with substituted sulfonamides (McGovern et al .• 1975).
9.4.2. 1. Trapping
Burkholder (1976, 1977) and others have shown the value of trapping
techniques for management of stored-product insects. Barak and Burkholder
(1976) studied the seasonal patterns of emergence of Attagenus and Trogoderma
in warehouses in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, by using corrugated paper traps baited
with pheromones. They were able to detect new infestations and to demonstrate
that high populations of A. megatoma (F.) and T. variabile (Ballion) existed.
Levinson and Levinson (1979) have reported their success in mass-trapping
of insects in grain stores. They used contact traps that release the sex pheromone
system of the female khapra beetle, (Z)- and (E)-trogodermal [(Z)- and (E)-14methyl-8-hexadecenal], in the ratio 10 : 1. Both components are capable of
stimulating males of five dermestid species [T. granarium, T. variabile, T.
inclusum (LeConte), T. simplex Jayne, and T. glabrum Herbst]. In other tests,
sticky traps containing a source that releases (Z,E)-9,12-tetradecadien-l-01 acetate (ZETA) or (Z,E)-7, 11-hexadecadien-l-01 acetate were used for phyticid and