Attractiveness of an Aggregation Pheromone Lure and Chicken Droppings to Adults and Larvae of Alphitobius diaperinus (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)

Singh, N.; Johnson, D. T.

Lesser mealworm beetles are nocturnal and inhabit a darkened or subdued light environment (Asaniyan et al. 2007 ). Thus, all bioassays were conducted during the day, but in reverse L:D (14:10 h) conditions (perceived as night by the beetles). An 8 h period was shown to allow optimal insect dispersal in preliminary bioassay tests. Bioassays were conducted for 8 h in complete darkness at 28ЊC and 50 Ϯ 10% relative humidity (RH). One hundred and Þfty test beetles were used in each replicate and four replicates were used for each treatment. Beetles were starved for 12 h before the bioassays. Beetles were placed under an inverted glass funnel (5 cm diameter at widest point) at the center of the arena for 8 h before release to allow for acclimation to the experimental conditions. These acclimated beetles were released at the down-wind end of the arena at 1 h after the dark cycle began, and their distribution recorded after 8 h. The treatment cup positions were reversed after each replicate to eliminate any positional cues. Two testing arenas 2.5 cm apart were used simultaneously. The beetles trapped in the odor or control cups and those made no choice were collected and counted. A new batch of beetles was tested in each replication. Each arena was washed with acetone and air-dried before any subsequent use.