2026/01/01 by Lawrence M. Hanks, Yunfan Zou, Jocelyn Millar · 1 voice
Environmental Science · Agricultural and Biological Sciences · #Forest Insect Ecology and Management #Coleoptera: Cerambycidae studies #Forest Ecology and Biodiversity Studies
paper · doi:10.4039/tce.2026.10057
openalex publication_date 2026/01/01 · openalex created_date 2026/06/05 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/05
Abstract There is growing interest in monitoring multiple insect species simultaneously by using traps baited with pheromones of multiple species. We tested potential interference among pheromones using blends targeting multiple species of cerambycid and elaterid beetles. The six-component blend of cerambycid pheromones has proven effective in attracting many species in the subfamilies Cerambycinae and Lamiinae. Seven elaterid species were trapped with a nine-component blend of sex attractants in an earlier field experiment. Traps were baited with the cerambycid blend, the elaterid blend, and the combined blend. Three elaterid species were similarly attracted by the elaterid and combined blends, whereas three other species were significantly less attracted by the combined blend. The variable influence of cerambycid compounds on attraction of elaterids to their sex attractants may reflect the nature of the hosts of their larvae. Specifically, larvae of species not influenced by the cerambycid blend feed on roots of deciduous agricultural plants. In contrast, larvae of the species antagonised by the cerambycid blend develop in woody tissues of plants, as do larvae of most cerambycids. These results suggest that these elaterids have evolved to detect cerambycid pheromones, allowing them to avoid aggressive competition with cerambycid larvae and even predation by cerambycids.