Adult age, temperature, and relative humidity shape tethered-flight performance of Conogethes punctiferalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae)

The yellow peach moth, Conogethes punctiferalis (Guenée), is a polyphagous pest of numerous cultivated plants, including maize, sorghum, sunflower, fruits, and nuts, across East, South, and Southeast Asia. We analyzed individual-level flight-mill data to evaluate associations of adult age, larval host source, temperature, relative humidity, sex, pupal weight, mating status, adult nutrition, and overwintering status with tethered-flight performance. Adult age was the most consistently supported biological factor: 3- and 5-d-old adults had greater flight distance and duration than 1- or 7-d-old adults. Larval host source and its interaction with adult age were not significant. Flight distance and duration were greater under moderately warm conditions and at 50% to 80% relative humidity than under the least favorable conditions tested, whereas mean flight speed was comparatively stable. Sex, pupal weight, mating status, and adult nutrition showed limited or statistically unsupported effects, whereas the overwintering comparison was confounded with collection year/generation. Absolute flight-mill distances should not be interpreted as natural migration distances. However, the relative treatment responses identify adult age, temperature, and relative humidity as candidate covariates for weather-adjusted interpretation of adult trap catches and for field validation of phenology-based monitoring. The results therefore provide a testable framework for distinguishing variation in flight activity from variation in population abundance when monitoring this economically important pest.