Skip to main content
ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Wapato, Washington » Temperate Tree Fruit and Vegetable Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #181377

Title: Attraction of Heliothis belladonna (Henry and Edwards) to the sex pheromone of the corn earworm moth, Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Author
item Landolt, Peter
item Buchanan, Constance
item ZACK, RICHARD - WA STATE UNIV
item CAMELO, LEONARDO - WA STATE UNIV

Submitted to: Journal of Kansas Entomological Society
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/1/2006
Publication Date: 11/1/2006
Citation: Landolt, P.J., Buchanan, C.L., Zack, R.S., Camelo, L. 2006. Attraction of Heliothis belladonna (Henry and Edwards) to the sex pheromone of the corn earworm moth, Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Journal of Kansas Entomological Society. 79(4):303-308.

Interpretive Summary: New methods and approaches are needed to control insect pests of vegetable crops. Monitoring with pheromone traps is used extensively by growers as a means of determining the presence of an insect pest and the necessity of control measures. Researchers at the USDA-ARS laboratory in Wapato, Washington, in collaboration with scientists in the Department of Entomology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA are developing more specific monitoring methods for moth pests of vegetable crops, to avoid confusion between pest and non pest moths captured in traps. They determined that a non-pest moth, Heliothis belladonna, is attracted to the pheromone of a pest moth, Helicoverpa zea, and is caught in monitoring traps. However, H. belladonna only flies very early in the season, before pest species become problems for growers. These findings clarify the results of trapping for pest moths and instruct growers as to when to begin monitoring for pest species.

Technical Abstract: Several males of Heliothis belladonna (Henry and Edwards) were initially captured in traps baited with commercial pheromone lures for the corn earworm moth, Helicoverpa zea (Boddie). Significant numbers of H. belladonna moths were subsequently captured in traps baited with a 4-component blend of corn earworm pheromone composed of Z-11-hexadecenal, Z-9-hexadecenal, Z-7-hexadecenal, and hexadecenal, and with a 2-component blend composed of Z-9-hexadecenal and Z-11-hexadecenal. Males of H. belladonna were not captured in traps baited with Z-11-hexadecenal alone. Heliothis belladonna were captured in traps during March, April, and early May in eastern Washington, which is before monitoring of corn earworm by growers normally begins, and before the corn earworm flight is anticipated. Therefore, the capture of this non-target species is unlikely to be a problem for the monitoring of corn earworm moths.