Summary
Transparent plastic water traps, baited with the synthetic aphid sex pheromone components (4aS,7S,7aR)-nepetalactone and (1R,4aS,7S,7aR)-nepetalactol or control lures, were placed in four semi-sheltered field sites at a height of 1.1 m. Although males of twenty-one aphid species were collected from the water traps, onlySitobion fragariae (Walker) was abundant. In total, 8 pheromone traps produced 102 males compared with only 10 males in 8 control traps. The sex pheromone released by sexual femaleS. fragariae was identified as the nepetalactone used in the lures. Aphid sex pheromones may be more species-specific than previously thought and the presence of a host plant is not essential for males to locate sexual females.
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Hardie, J., Nottingham, S.F., Dawson, G.W. et al. Attraction of field-flying aphid males to synthetic sex pheromone. Chemoecology 3, 113–117 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01370138
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01370138