title: Mobile mating disruption of light-brown apple moths using pheromone-treated sterile Mediterranean fruit flies.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Public opposition to aerial application of sex pheromone for mating disruption of light-brown apple moth (LBAM), Epiphyas postvittana (Walk.), in California stopped its further use in the ca $74 million eradication programme in 2008, underscoring the need for other eradication tactics. It is demonstrated that pheromone-treated sterile Mediterranean fruit flies (medflies), Ceratitis capitata Wied., can disrupt communication in male moths.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Medflies topically dosed with moth pheromone (E)-11-tetradecenyl acetate showed a no observed effect level (NOEL) of ~10 µg fly(-1) , with increasing toxicity from 30 to 100 µg fly(-1) . Greater potency and longevity of attraction and lower mortality were achieved using microencapsulated pheromone. Releases of 1000 pheromone-treated medflies ha(-1) prevented male moth catch to synthetic lures in treated 4 ha plots for 1 day in suburban Perth, Australia. Releases of ca 3000 pheromone-treated medflies ha(-1) disrupted catch to single female moths in delta traps, and to synthetic pheromone lures. Percentage disruption on the first four nights was 95, 91, 82 and 85%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Disruption of moth catch using pheromone-treated medflies is a novel development that, with future improvement, might provide a socially acceptable approach for application of the insect mating disruption technique to control invasive insects in urban environments. Adequacy of payload and other issues require resolution.
authors.affiliation: The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited, Christchurch, New Zealand. Max.Suckling@plantandfood.co.nz
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Suckling
authors.forename: Bill
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Woods
authors.forename: Vanessa J
authors.initials: VJ
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Twidle
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Lacey
authors.forename: Eric B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.forename: Andrew R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Wallace
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D033622:Ceratitis capitata; D005229:Fatty Acids, Monounsaturated / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000592:standards; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D009036:Moths; D019055:No-Observed-Adverse-Effect Level; D010572:Pest Control, Biological / Q000379:methods*; D012724:Sex Attractants / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000592:standards
chemical_list: D005229:Fatty Acids, Monounsaturated; D012724:Sex Attractants; C012056:11-tetradecenyl acetate