Masters Theses

Date of Award

5-2005

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Plant Sciences

Major Professor

William E. Klingeman, III

Committee Members

Frank A. Hale, Jerome Grant

Abstract

Different species of clearwing moths are known to prefer slightly different pheromone chemical ratios in their long-range mating attraction. Attraction to pheromones is primarily an olfactory response. Olfactory cues are utilized for long-range attraction, but short-range visual cues may also contribute to orientation and mating success of the male clearing males. To investigate the hypothesis that color and olfactory cues influence male clearing attraction, a study was initiated in 2002.

Experimental treatments included trap orientation, color and pheromone blends in conjunction with Multipher-1 traps. Clearing moth traps catches in East Tennessee were pooled across species and analyzed by black, green and white painted traps. For pooled sesiid species and for the lilac borer, Podosesia syringae (Harris) and the peachtree borer, Synanthedon exitiosa (Say), trap color did not influence the number of adult male sesiids captured.

During 2003 trapping, painted traps yielded a total of 990 male sesiid moths pooled among the 5 different commercially-available dogwood borer lures. Captured moths represented 11 different clearwing borer species. Only 3 dogwood borers were captured in 2003: the Scenturion lure No. 149, the European dogwood borer test lure and IPM Tech’s DWB lure each caught a single S. scitula.

A second study was initiated in 2003 at three study sites to evaluate the effectiveness of five commercially available lures marketed to trap male dogwood borer. The commercial lures attracted 13 different clearwing borer species and captured a total of 1,121 male moths. Of this total only 3 were dogwood borer. This prevented monitoring seasonal flight activity of the dogwood borer. However, this research documented the species diversity of non-target sessids collected using commercially marketed dogwood borer lures that are marketed and sold for landscape IPM monitoring. While these commercially-available pheromone lures do not reliably monitor adult male dogwood borer flight activity, they still provide useful tools for monitoring other adult male clearwing borer species.

In 2002 and 2003, these commercial lures were used to monitor the seasonal flight activities of adult male lilac borers and peachtree borers. Trap capture data were compared to growing degree-day (GDD) accumulations using a base temperature threshold of 50˚F (10˚C) during both seasons for these moth species. Seasonal trap catch yields showed that lilac borer was first collected and active 9 April after 107 GDD and after 165 GDD had accumulated in 2002 and 2003, respectively. Male moths remained active throughout 12 June, and 26 June, in 2002 and 2003, respectively. The first trap catch of Synanthedon exitiosa (Say) occurred 11 May 2002 after 572 GDD and 1 July, subsequent to 1550 GDD accumulation. Flight activity in both years peaked between 29 June and 26 August. The discrepancy between accumulated GDD in 2002 and 2003 and first trap is not readily explained. Growing Degree Day accumulations are dependent on weather. Seasonal abundance of cloudy and rainy days reduces accumulated GDD. The lower rainfall totals in May 2002 may explain the reason for an earlier flight emergence of S. exitiosa.

Results of this study are expected to provide IPM scouts with a better understanding of the seasonal activity of clearwing moths in Tennessee. Early detection and control of clearing moths will help reduce chemical dependency by properly timing applications and prevent economic and aesthetic injury to the urban landscape.

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