Spodoptera exigua: Capture of feral males in traps baited with blends of pheromone components.

Field tests were conducted with various blends of acetates and alcohols previously identified as components of the sex pheromone for the beet armyworm (BAW),Spodoptera exigua (Hübner). The compounds were formulated on rubber septa and placed in sticky traps positioned in fields populated withAmaranthus sp., a favored host of this species. Moth captures were highest in traps baited with septa containing a blend of 0.1 mg (Z,E)-9,12-tetradecadien-1-ol acetate (Z9,E12-14∶Ac) and 0.01 mg(Z)-9-tetradecen-1-ol (Z9-14∶OH). Additionally, we confirmed that all combinations of acetates tested alone captured significantly fewer males than blends containing a 10∶1 ratio ofZ9,E12-14∶Ac andZ9-14∶OH. A 10∶1 formulation ofZ9,E12-14∶Ac andZ9-14∶OH in hollow fibers was also attractive to feral BAW males.