Electrophysiological and behavioral responses of Dendroctonus valens (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) to four bark beetle pheromones.

The red turpentine beetle, Dendroctonus valens LeConte (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), has caused extensive mortality of Pinus tabuliformis Carrière in north central China. The electrophysiological and behavioral activities of the four bark beetle pheromones, frontalin, exo-brevicomin, trans-verbenol, and cis-verbenol, singly or in combination with host-produced kairomones, were tested on red turpentine beetles. Both sexes showed a consistent electrophysiological response to the four test compounds. In Y-tube olfactometer bioassays, walking red turpentine beetles selected the host compound (+)-3-carene over any of the test compounds, but significantly higher numbers chose each tested pheromone over a blank control. The four compounds, tested singly or in combination, were not attractive to red turpentine beetles in field trapping studies in 2006 and 2007 and also did not significantly increase trap catch when combined with (+)-3-carene. Frontalin, alone or in combination with exo-brevicomin and trans-verbenol, significantly reduced the attractiveness of (+)-3-carene in 2006 but not in 2007. The possible roles of the pheromones in host and mate finding and selection are discussed.