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

Singh, N.; Johnson, D. T.

The CD left behind from previous ßock might have some attractive volatiles that competed with the pheromone lure before introduction of chicks. The presence of chicks affected distribution of beetles, and their droppings strongly competed with the pheromone lure. Nevertheless, a consistent effect of the pheromone over time was observed in low, moderate, and high-infestation houses for adults and larvae. The pheromone effect was consistent over space in moderate and high lesser mealworm infestation houses for adults, and the high lesser mealworm infestation house for larvae. The low larval population or clumped aggregations in the house (Strother and Steelman 2001) might be the reason for the variable attractiveness of pheromone over space for adults in a low infestation house, and for larvae in low and moderate infestation houses.