Research Institute for Subtropics
Fruit Fly Research in Japan

 

Mass Trapping of the Sweet Potato Weevil Cylas Formicarius (FABRICIUS) (Coleoptera: Brentidae) with a Synthetic Sex Pheromone

<Author> Keiji YASUDA
<Year> 1995
<Journal> Appl. Entomol. Zool.
<Volume> 30
<Issue> 1
<Pages> 31-36
<Notes> English

The suppressing effect of mass trapping with a synthetic pheromone on the population of the sweet potato weevil, Cylas formicarius, was studied in a small sweet potato field in Okinawa, Japan. The traps captured 65,214 males and 18 females from July, 1989 to December, 1990. In the pheromone-treated field, the sex ratio of the population largely skewed to female and the mating rate of females was reduced. The density of weevils was notably decreased in the pheromone-treated field, probably due to male annihilation and mating disturbance. Thus, mass-trapping is promising as a controlling agent against the sweet potato weevil.


Research Institute for Subtropics