Lesser peachtree borer: Influence of trap height, substrates, concentration, and trap design on capture of male moths with females and with a synthetic pheromone

Field trapping was conducted in 1973-74 with traps baited with either the (E,Z) isomer of 3,13-octadecadien-1-ol acetate, a synthetic sex attractant of the lesser peachtree borer, Synanthedon pictipes (Grote and Robinson), or with virgin ♀ borers. Traps baited with virgin females caught significantly more ♂ borers when they were 2 m above ground, but traps baited with the synthetic pheromone captured males equally well whether they were on the ground or at 0-3 m above ground. On the basis of the number of males caught, rubber bands and rubber septa were the best of the substrates tested for dispensing the pheromone. Both were most effective after aging 30 days. Each 10-fold increase in concentration of synthetic pheromone (from 10-10,000 μg/trap) attracted significantly more males. Captures in traps baited with virgin females (5-20/trap) varied much less. The Byron trap was the most effective of 7 trap designs tested in capturing ♂ borers.