Identifying Possible Pheromones of Cerambycid Beetles by Field Testing Known Pheromone Components in Four Widely Separated Regions of the United States.

The pheromone components of many cerambycid beetles appear to be broadly shared among related species, including species native to different regions of the world. This apparent conservation of pheromone structures within the family suggests that field trials of common pheromone components could be used as a means of attracting multiple species, which then could be targeted for full identification of their pheromones. Here, we describe the results of such field trials that were conducted in nine states in the northeastern, midwestern, southern, and western United States.

Evaluating High Release Rate MCH (3-Methylcyclohex-2-en-1-one) Treatments for Reducing Dendroctonus pseudotsugae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) Infestations.

Current recommendations for applying the antiaggregation pheromone 3-methylcyclohex-2-en-1-one (MCH) to protect live trees from Douglas-fir beetle, Dendroctonus pseudotsugae Hopkins, infestation are to space individual passive releasers (MCH bubble capsules) on a 12- by 12-m grid throughout areas to be protected. Previous field studies and a theoretical study using a puff dispersion model to predict pheromone concentrations have shown that releasers emitting higher rates of MCH spaced farther apart may be as effective as the established standard treatment. During 2012 and 2013, we tested higher release rates of MCH at correspondingly wider spacings to keep the total amount of MCH released per unit area equal in all treatments.

Predicting Dendroctonus pseudotsugae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) antiaggregation pheromone concentrations using an instantaneous puff dispersion model.

An instantaneous puff dispersion model was used to assess concentration fields of the Douglas-fir beetle, Dendroctonus pseudotsugae Hopkins, antiaggregation pheromone, 3-methylcyclohex-2-en-1-one (MCH), within a 1-ha circular plot. Several combinations of MCH release rate and releaser spacing were modeled to theoretically analyze optimal deployment strategies. The combinations of MCH release rate and releaser spacing used in the modeling exercise were based on results of previous field studies of treatment efficacy.

Genotypic variation among Douglas-fir tussock moth nucleopolyhedrovirus (OpNPV) isolates in the western United States.

Periodic outbreaks of the Douglas-fir tussock moth (Orgyia pseudotsugata) in forests of western North America generally end with a sudden collapse due primarily to an epizootic caused by a nucleopolyhedrovirus (NPV) that occurs naturally within O. pseudotsugata populations. We genotypically characterized NPV populations from Washington State, Oregon, Idaho, New Mexico and California for the first time.