Importance of the experimental setup in research on attractiveness of odours in moths: an example with B usseola fusca

Wind tunnel and Y‐tube olfactometer studies are useful for demonstrating the responsiveness of male moths to sex pheromones. However, in the cereal stem borer, Busseola fusca (Fuller) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), wind tunnel bioassays yielded poor results when the behavioural responses of females to plant odours were tested. We demonstrated that for B. fusca females, the Y‐tube olfactometer was better suited for measuring the attractiveness of plant odours, compared with the wind tunnel. In particular, we showed B. fusca preference for odours of a host over a non‐host plant species using this apparatus. Behavioural responses for B. fusca after host finding are also discussed.