ATTRACTION OF CARPOPHILUS SPP (COLEOPTERA, NITIDULIDAE) TO SYNTHETIC AGGREGATION PHEROMONES AND HOST-RELATED COATTRACTANTS IN AUSTRALIAN STONE FRUIT ORCHARDS - BEETLE PHENOLOGY AND PHEROMONE DOSE STUDIES

Synthetic aggregation pheromones of Carpophilus hemipterus (L.) and Carpophilus mutilatus Erichson were field tested during a 10-month period in southern New South Wares stone fruit orchards to determine Carpophilus spp. phenology and the effect of two pheromone doses on attraction. Aggregation pheromones synergize the attraction of host volatiles to Carpophilus spp. Four major species, C. hemipterus, C. mutilatus, C. davidsoni Dobson and C. (Urophorus) humeralis (F.), were trapped, with greater numbers of each species in C. hemipterus pheromone/fermenting whole-wheat bread-dough-baited traps, than in dough-only-traps. In C. mutilatus pheromone/fermenting-dough-baited traps, only C. mutilatus and C. davidsoni responded in greater numbers than to dough-only traps. Beetles first appeared in traps in late September (early spring) when daily maximum temperatures averaged 17.5 degrees C. Trappings reached a peak during October and declined to very low levels in November-December (late spring-early summer). Numbers trapped of all species increased during February-March (late summer-early autumn), presumably due to the presence of abundant host resources (ripening and fallen fruit), and continued at high levels until May (late autumn). An IS-week study demonstrated significantly greater responses by Carpophilus spp. to 5000-mu g than to 500-mu g doses of C. hemipterus and C. mutilatus pheromones. Greatest responses to 5000 mu g were recorded for C. hemipterus and C. mutilatus responding to their own pheromones (increased attraction over dough alone of 259 x and 21.2 x, respectively). Implications of the study and the potential for using synthetic aggregation pheromones for managing Carpophilus spp. populations in Australian stone fruit are discussed.