Efficacy of mating disruption treatment against spongy moth, Lymantria dispar dispar, applied using an unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with an AKSATA (formerlyAgridrones) OAS precise applicator payload

Combining Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) with precision application technology offers a safer, more economical, and more precise method of aerial treatment compared to piloted aircraft, minimizing off-target dispersion of sprayed agents. Our objective was to develop a UAV-based mating disruption treatment method to control spongy moth, one of the most destructive forest pests in the US. Collaborating with ISCA Technologies (Riverside, CA, USA) and Aksata (Kfar Saba, Israel), we conducted a series of trial applications of spongy moth pheromone formulated as SPLAT® GM-organic, the only mating disruption formulation currently used against spongy moth, using UAV over five 1-ha (2.47-acre) experimental plots in Virginia.

We evaluated treatment efficacy for 10 weeks using the release-recapture method and compared it to the efficacy of the same treatment applied aerially using a piloted fixed-wing aircraft, which is currently the only application method in spongy moth operational control programs. Our findings indicate that (1) UAV-applied mating disruption treatments achieve similar efficacy to treatments applied using piloted aircraft (with over a 90% reduction in male spongy moth catches in pheromone-baited traps compared to untreated control plots for at least 10 weeks); and (2) UAV-applied pheromone treatment may maintain full or near-full efficacy even one year post-application.

Given the widespread use of the SPLAT® matrix in various formulations, our project's results may hold relevance for mating disruption control strategies targeting other pests, thereby contributing to the advancement of integrated pest management practices.