Insect pheromones and their use in Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

• Pest monitoring
• Mass trapping
• Lure and kill
• Mating disruption

Pheromone and IPM
• Pheromones can be utilized to catch or deter insects. Example: Pheromone “traps”, which contain the pheromone emitted by the female gypsy moth can be set to catch male moths

Definition

• Pheromones are chemicals emitted by an animal that signals another animal of the same species. Example: female gypsy moths emit a pheromone to attract a male

Pheromones: 

semiochemicals released by an indand affect other ind within the same species (intraspecific effects)
• Aggregation Pheromones: release by ind of one species that attract conspecific ind to the source organisms (e.g. stinkbugs)
• Alarm Pheromones: elicit escape and defensive behavior. (e.g. Ants)
• Sex Pheromones: involve with attraction between sexual partners to increase mating probability. Emitted by one sex, to attract opposote sex (e.g. moths, butterflies)
• Other Pheromones: Trail, maturation, epidiectic (dispersal)