Capture rates of the European pine sawfly, <i>Neodiprion sertifer</i> , in pheromone traps, with special regard to effects of wind speed

Abstract:
Males of the European pine sawfly, Neodiprion sertifer Geoffr., were marked and released downwind from pheromone traps, baited with 100 mug of the sex pheromone (2S,3S,7S)-3,7-dimethyl-2-pentadecyl acetate. Males were released 5 m downwind from one trap, or downwind from five traps, 50 m or 200 m away. The average capture rates after 24 hr were 21.5%, 17.7% and 3.8%, respectively. The capture rate was highest at moderate wind speeds (1-2 m/sec) in the 50 m experiments, whereas it decreased above wind speeds of 1.5 m/sec in the 200 m experiments. With no precipitation and > 13.5 degreesC during overcast, wind speed is presumably the most important climatic factor for N. sertifer males flying upwind to a pheromone source. Travel time, the elapsed time form take-off to landing on the trap, varied considerably, and the shortest recorded travel times were 1, 6 and 45 min for the 5, 50, and 200 m experiments, respectively. The trap efficiency i.e., number of captured males per number of males that landed on the trap, was estimated at 52% in the 5 m experiments. The sampling range after 24 hr was calculated at approximately 400 m by regression analysis. The combination of the males' flight ability during upwind progress and their longevity (12 days), suggests a potentially large seasonal sampling range of the traps used in this study.