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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Miami, Florida » Subtropical Horticulture Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #308861
Title: Redbay ambrosia beetle: basic and applied chemical ecology

Author
item Kendra, Paul
item Montgomery, Wayne
item Niogret, Jerome
item Schnell, Elena
item Epsky, Nancy

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/20/2014
Publication Date: 11/16/2014
Citation: Kendra, P.E., Montgomery, W.S., Niogret, J., Schnell, E.Q., Epsky, N.D. 2014. Redbay ambrosia beetle: basic and applied chemical ecology. 67th annual meeting of the Entomological Society of America, Portland, Oregon 16-19 Nov 2014.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The invasive redbay ambrosia beetle, Xyleborus glabratus, is an exotic wood-boring pest first detected in the U.S. in 2002 near Savannah, Georgia. Females of X. glabratus vector a fungal pathogen (Raffaelea lauricola) that causes laurel wilt, a lethal disease of trees in the family Lauraceae. Over the past decade, laurel wilt has spread throughout the southeastern coastal plain, causing extensive mortality in native Persea species, including redbay (P. borbonia), swampbay (P. palustris), and silkbay (P. humilis). Currently, it threatens commercial avocado (P. americana) in south Florida, and with continued spread, may impact avocado production in Mexico and California as well. This presentation summarizes comparative field and laboratory research focused on identification of the semiochemicals used by X. glabratus for host location. Results presented will include relative attraction and boring preferences of X. glabratus for nine North American species of Lauraceae, electrophysiological analyses of olfactory responses to host volatiles, and evaluations of field lures used for detection of X. glabratus.