Canadian Forest Service Publications
Emerald ash borer, Agrilus planipennis (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), detection and monitoring in Canada. 2019. Silk, P.J., Ryall, K., and Roscoe, L. Forestry.
Year: 2019
Issued by: Atlantic Forestry Centre
Catalog ID: 39963
Language: English
Availability: PDF (request by e-mail)
Available from the Journal's Web site. †
DOI: 10.1093/forestry/cpz036
† This site may require a fee
Abstract
The emerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis is a serious invasive pest causing extreme levels of mortality in ash trees (Fraxinus spp., Oleaceae) in the USA and Canada. Knowledge of buprestid chemical ecology is sparse, but the appearance of EAB in North America and its devastating ecological and economic impacts have afforded an opportunity to study its semiochemistry and biology in detail. We provide the first evidence of a sex pheromone in the Buprestidae for EAB as the female-produced lactone (3Z)-dodecen-12-olide ((3Z)-lactone). Adding (3Z)-lactone to green sticky prism traps baited with (3Z)-hexenol consistently increases trap captures, increases captures on the south aspect of the tree canopy, and increases trap captures and detection rates at low insect densities. This bait combination is significantly more attractive than (3Z)-hexenol alone, especially when traps are in a competitive deployment. Using a push–pull strategy, some nonhost volatiles deployed in ash trees significantly lower trap capture and may be useful in the “push” component, with a girdled trap tree treated with systemic insecticide constituting the “pull” component. We developed reliable branch sampling techniques to estimate incidence and density of EAB. We recommend using these combined tools to detect, delimit, and monitor EAB.
Plain Language Summary
The emerald ash borer is a serious invasive pest causing extreme levels of mortality in ash trees in the USA and Canada. Knowledge of buprestid chemical ecology is sparse, but the appearance of EAB in North America and its devastating ecological and economic impacts have afforded an opportunity to study its chemical ecology and biology in detail. We successfully identified the sex pheromone of EAB and developed a reliable green sticky prism trap using these data. Adding pheromone to traps baited with a tree volatile consistently increases trap captures, increases captures on the south aspect of the tree canopy, and increases trap captures and detection rates at low insect densities. We also developed reliable branch sampling techniques to estimate incidence and density of EAB that correlate with trap capture. We recommend using these combined tools to detect, delimit, and monitor EAB.