Kairomones and their use for management of entomophagous insects - XIII. Kairomonal activity for Trichogramma spp. of abdominal tips, excretion, and a synthetic sex pheromone blend of Heliothis zea (Boddie) moths

Volatile chemicals emanating from an excretion (apparently meconium) and abdominal tips of female Heliothis zea (Boddie) moths mediated increased rates of parasitization of H. zea eggs by Trichogramma pretiosum Riley. A blend of synthetic chemicals, consisting of hexadecanal, (Z)-7-hexadecenal, (Z)-9-hexadecenal, and (Z)-11-hexadecenal, which has been identified as the sex pheromone of and from the abdominal tip of female H. zea moths, also increased rates of parasitization of H. zea eggs by T. pretiosum in greenhouse experiments. In addition, parasitization of H. zea eggs by wild Trichogramma spp., in field plots of cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L., treated with a similar blend of chemicals, in Conrel fibers, was more than double that in untreated plots.