Effectiveness of a multi-species attractant in two different trap types under practical grain storage. conditions

Commodities may be attacked by a multitude of pest species simultaneously and so to be cost-effective any hire must be attractive to a range of target species. The objective of this study was to test a multi-species lure formulation with different dispensers under conditions as close as possible to their use in practice. The attractant effect of the multi-species lure formulation was tested using two types of dispensers with populations of the three principal grain beetle pests in the UK (Oryzaephilus surinamensis, Sitophilus granarius and Cryptolestes ferrugineus). The trials were performed over a period of six weeks with the lures tested in PC(TM) Traps: first in a grain bulk and in six grain bins and second in the surrounding area using PC(TM) Floor Traps. The amounts of volatiles released in and around ill situ traps were measured using Solid-Phase Microextraction (SPME). The first lure dispenser tested was attractive to O. surinamensis and C ferrugineus but it attracted fewer S. granarius than the control traps. It was shown that most of the volatiles were released at the beginning of the trial and therefore lures were not effective over the whole six-week period. The second lure dispenser released the attractant volatiles more consistently over six weeks and exerted significant. attraction to O. surinamensis and C ferrugineus in PC(TM) Traps in the grain bulk and to O. surinamensis and S. granarius in floor traps. Too few C ferrugineus were caught in floor traps to make a comparison. The reason for the repellent effect on S. granarius in the grain bulk was unclear and this is discussed along with the importance of measuring volatiles released by the lure. Crown Copyright (C) 2008 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.