Attraction and oviposition of <i>Ephestia kuehniella</i> induced by volatiles identified from chocolate products

Abstract:
Host-plant volatiles or other volatiles that attract moths, especially females, could be useful as trap baits or as a complement to pheromones in pest management. Three chocolate products, which had previously been found to be attractive to other pyralid moths, were screened by combined gas chromatography-electrophysiology for compounds that could be used for trapping of Ephestia kuehniella Zeller (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) moths. Nine compounds were identified as electrophysiologically active using the antennae of both sexes of E. kuehniella. Three of them, namely, benzyl alcohol, nonanal, and phenylacetaldehyde (PAA), showed a clear dose-dependent electroantennogram (EAG) response on both female and male antennae. In addition, vanillin and ethyl vanillin were electrophysiologically active on male antennae. A blend of benzyl alcohol, nonanal, and PAA was found to trap males in a small-scale tent experiment. Females were not trapped, but oviposition was induced by each of the three volatiles individually. The results indicate that the volatiles show potential to be used in monitoring of E. kuehniella.