Using microencapsulated liquid pheromone for the control of Indian meal moth (Plodia interpunctella) in a retail environment

Authors: LINDENMAYER, JESSICA - Trece, Inc; Campbell, James; MILLER, JAMES - Trece, Inc; Gerken, Alison

Submitted to: Journal of Economic Entomology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/16/2024
Publication Date: 2/1/2025
Citation: Lindenmayer, J.C., Campbell, J.F., Miller, J.F., Gerken, A.R. 2025. Using microencapsulated liquid pheromone for the control of Indian meal moth (Plodia interpunctella) in a retail environment. Journal of Economic Entomology. 110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jspr.2024.102479.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jspr.2024.102479

Interpretive Summary: Pet food is a billion-dollar industry, and products are vulnerable to stored product infestations through the entire pet food production and supply chain, including in the retail environment. Mating disruption is a species-specific pest management tactic that reduces population levels by releasing large amounts of pheromone into the environment and disrupting the ability of males to find females and mate. Mating disruption is typically applied using dispensers placed in a grid throughout an entire facility; however, replacing the lures can be labor intensive. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a new formulation of pheromone that can be sprayed onto surfaces (CIDETRAK® IMM MEC™, Trécé, Inc.), which reduces labor. Furthermore, unlike the dispensers, this formula can be applied to specific areas where population levels are high, resulting in more targeted applications. The product was effective in reducing population levels in three retail pet supply stores that had either low, medium/low, and high population levels of Indianmeal moth, a common stored product insect found in pet food stores. Although levels of population reduction were lower in the store with high initial population levels, the spray was still effective at reducing the population levels by over 30% in this store. Moreover, we identified areas of the store with high population levels year-round, including the dog and cat food sections and the backroom receiving/storage, and observed high populations in warmer months. These could represent optimal locations and times of the year to apply this product. These results show efficacy of liquid pheromone formulation in a retail store setting and suggest that for low or medium/low starting populations, a 90-day spraying schedule is sufficient to reduce and maintain low populations of moths. However, more frequent spraying or coupling the pheromone spray with other integrated pest management techniques may be required to reduce high population levels.

Technical Abstract: The pet food and accessories industry is a multi-billion-dollar business. Goods are shipped and stored in a scheduled manner, but consumers also dictate what is bought and when, introducing extreme variability in the retail system. These products are susceptible to stored product insect pests, such as the Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella Hübner (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) which can cause significant damage to the product. Mating disruption is a form of control where extremely high doses of sex pheromone are used to disable mating. A new formulation of microencapsulated P. interpunctella female sex pheromone was tested in four pet food retail stores from 2021 to 2022 with monthly monitoring. Three stores, classified as high, medium/low, and low starting populations were sprayed with microencapsulated pheromone at 90-day intervals for a year. The fourth store remained an untreated control. Data were analyzed by store, month, and product category (cat food and supplies; dog food and supplies; cat litter; fish, bird, and small animal products; and backroom area). Stores that were treated with encapsulated pheromone showed significantly lower populations over time. Heat maps were used to visualize distribution of moths over time and showed how unpredictable human interactions can be with moth populations in this unique environment. These results show that this new formulation significantly reduces P. interpunctella captures over time, which is likely related to overall moth population level, and in combination with other tactics can be part of an IPM strategy in a challenging commercial retail environment.