Behavior Modifying Chemicals

Prospects and constrains

Insects use chemical communication for:

• Finding food

• Finding oviposition sites

• Finding mates

SEMIOCHEMICALS

Semiochemicals

• Pheromones

• Allelochemicals

Pheromones

• Sex pheromone

Pheromones

• Alarm pheromone

Pheromones

• Aggregation pheromone

Pheromones

• Trail pheromone

Pheromones

• Host-marking pheromone

Allelochemicals

• Alomones-benefit sender

• Kairomones-benefit the receiverreceiver

• Synomones-benefit both

Semiochemicals are widely used in IPM

Pheromones and kairomonescan be used as baits.

Semiochemicals are widely used in IPM

• Mass trapping

• Attract and kill

• Lure and infect

Mate Disruption

Semiochemical uses

• Detect presence of a species

• Measure seasonal activity

• Provide decision support

• Mate disruption

• Assess levels of insecticide resistance

1mg

152 Km

15 ha

Aren’t pheromone catches biased?

• Females are the ones that oviposit

• Females are directly linked with larval abundance

• Females do not move as much as males in many species

• Some baits that are food based attract both sexes but are less specific.

Mating Disruption Work best if:

• Pests do not have wide range

• Pests are poor dispersers

• Pest densities are not too high

• Male sensitivity to pheromones is high

Male antennae react to specific pheromone blends

Pheromones are affected by climatic factors