SUPPRESSION OF MALE EUROPEAN CORN-BORER SEX ATTRACTION AND PRE-COPULATORY REACTIONS WITH (E)-9-TETRADECENYL ACETATE

(E)-9-Tetradecenyl acetate had previously been shown to be present in extracts of the female European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis (Hübner), along with (E)-11-tetradecenyl acetate, (Z)-11-tetradecenyl acetate, and tetradecyl acetate. In field and laboratory assays (E)-9-tetradecenyl acetate suppressed male attraction and precopulatory behavior, but tetradecyl acetate had no influence. The bioassay data indicate that (E)-9-tetradecenyl acetate and the isomeric 11-tetradecenyl acetates are perceived through separate sensory channels. A blend of (E)-9-tetradecenyl acetate and the 11-tetradecenyl acetates might be useful as a disrupter of mating efficiency of this pest species in the field. © 1979 Plenum Publishing Corporation.