Identification of the Sex Pheromone of the Spruce Coneworm, Dioryctria reniculelloides (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

Abstract

Only (Z)-9-tetradecenyl acetate (<1 ng per female) could be identified by capillary gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) in sex pheromone extracts of spruce coneworm, Dioryctria reniculelloides Mutuura & Munroe. Confirmation of this component as the Z isomer and identification of a potential second component, (Z)-7-dodecenyl acetate, were accomplished by electroantennogram bioassay and field tests. Blends of these compounds in ratios of 3:0.15 and 3:0.3 µg were significantly more attractive than (Z)-9-tetradecenyl acetate alone. A third chemical, (Z)-7-dodecenal, when present with the other compounds, produced a lure more competitive with female-baited traps but not significantly better than the two-component lure. Pheromone-baited traps placed in the middle and upper crown of white or black spruce caught significantly more insects than traps in the bottom of the crown of either tree species.