Pheromone Baited Traps for Detecting Elm Bark Beetles

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Abstract
Both sexes of inflight adults of the elm bark beetle Scolytus multistriatus (Marsham) a principal vector of Dutch elm disease, Ceratocystis ulmi, (Buism.) C. Moreau, in the Northern Hemisphere, were attracted to traps baited with a synthetic aggregant pheromone called “Multilure”. This pheromone, or secondary attractant, is a mixture of two different beetle-produced pheromones and a host-produced synergist. Several types of pheromone dispensers were successfully used in detecting the presence of S. multistriatus at various locations. Beetles were trapped in Victoria (Ballarat, Castlemaine, Melbourne) but none were caught in the Australian Capital Territory (Canberra), New South Wales (Armidale and Sydney) or Tasmania (Hobart). Five specimens of S. multistriatus were collected from infested elms in Bendigo and Camperdown. The application of synthetic pheromones in the management of urban forest insect pests is discussed.