Control of Moth Pests by Mating Disruption: Successes and Constraints

Male moths generally find their mates by following the females' pheromone plume to its source. A formulated copy of this message is used to regulate mating of many important pests, including the pink bollworm (Pectinophora gossypiella), the oriental fruit moth (Grapholita molesta), and the tomato pinworm (Keiferia lycopersicella). How synthetic disruptant interrupts normal orientation is uncertain, but the most probable mechanisms invoke adaptation and habituation, competition between point sources of formulation and females, and a camouflage of a female's pheromone plume by the formulation. The efficacy of this technology is related principally to the motility of mated females into the area to be managed, the initial population levels of the pest, and the release characteristics of the formulation. In most cases, implementation of this technology necessitates a sophisticated monitoring and management program. Area-wide management schemes are ideal vehicles for using disruptants. Future acceptance of this environmentally safe control method should increase, largely because of growing dissatisfaction with conventional pesticides.