Development of an improved attractive lure for the pine shoot beetle, Tomicus piniperda (Coleoptera: Scolytidae)

Abstract 1 The pine shoot beetle, Tomicus piniperda (L.) (Coleoptera: Scolytidae), is an exotic pest of pine, Pinus spp., and was first discovered in North America in 1992. 2 Although primary attraction to host volatiles has been clearly demonstrated for T. piniperda , the existence and role of secondary attraction to insect‐produced pheromones have been widely debated. 3 Currently, commercial lures for T. piniperda include only the host volatiles α‐pinene in North America and α‐pinene, terpinolene and (+)‐3‐carene in Europe. Several potential pheromone candidates have been identified for T. piniperda. 4 We tested various combinations of host volatiles and pheromone candidates in Michigan, U.S.A., and Ontario, Canada, to determine an optimal blend. 5 Attraction of T. piniperda was significantly increased when trans ‐verbenol (95% pure, 3.2% cis‐ verbenol content) was added with or without myrtenol to α‐pinene or to blends of α‐pinene and other kairomones and pheromone candidates. 6 Our results, together with other research demonstrating that trans ‐verbenol is produced by T. piniperda , support the designation of trans ‐verbenol as a pheromone for T. piniperda. A simple operational lure consisting of α‐pinene and trans ‐verbenol is recommended for optimal attraction of T. piniperda .