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Section Symposium

Medical, Urban, and Veterinary Entomology

Physiology, Biochemistry, and Toxicology

Stored Product Pests vs. Technology

Flying under the radar no more: Using flight mills to enhance stored product pest control

Wednesday, November 13, 2024
9:50 AM – 10:05 AM MST
Location: Phoenix Convention Center, 223, PCC
Oral Presentation

Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), is a widespread pantry pest of raw grain and durable commodities. Behaviorally based management methods for this moth often exploit the major component of the female sex pheromone, (Z, E)-9, 12-tetradecadienyl acetate (ZETA) in lures paired with flight traps for population monitoring and for mating disruption. Although it is well-established that food and pheromones are attractants for Indian meal moth mating success and oviposition, we investigated how the presence of flour, ZETA emissions via a pheromone lure, or both stimuli affected mated and unmated male and female moth flight activity in a flight mill environmental chamber study. Unmated moths were given a 24-h flight opportunity 1-, 3-, or 5-days post-eclosion on a flight mill and maintained at rearing temperatures (27°C and 65% RH) to for optimal flight activity. Moths were also given a mating opportunity 20-hr prior to flight by randomly pairing individuals of the opposite sex with a member of their same age cohort.  Females were dissected to search for the presence of spermatophore transfer to confirm mating status. We found that the flight activity was significantly dependent on the sex, age, mating status and semiochemical treatment. Thus, this research helps us understand fundamental differences in flight behavior that may be important for optimizing pheromone-based monitoring and management of Indian meal moth populations in flour facilities.