Upwind flight to cotton flowers by pectinophora gossypiella (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae)

Wind tunnel bioassays were performed to examine upwind flight by pink bollworm moths, Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders), to different parts of the cotton plant (Gossypium hirsutum L.). More moths approached and landed on flowers than on flower buds, bolls, or leaves. Mated female moths were more readily attracted to flowers than were unmated female or male moths. Attraction of moths to flowers was virtually eliminated by washing flowers in pentane, suggesting that the attraction was mediated by olfactory cues. Moths also responded to a hexane extract of flowers and to flowers without petals. We propose that flower volatiles act as a food lure attracting moths to extrafloral nectaries.