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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Gainesville, Florida » Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology » Insect Behavior and Biocontrol Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #427833
Research Project: Improved Biologically-Based Methods for Management of Native and Invasive Crop Insect Pests

Location: Insect Behavior and Biocontrol Research

Title: Cross attraction to various Spodoptera species using pheromone lures for native and exotic species

Author
item Meagher Jr, Robert
item ADAMCZYK, J - Former ARS Employee
item RENKEMA, J - Agriculture And Agri-Food Canada
item LANCE, D - Retired Non ARS Employee
item BRAMBILA, J - Retired Non ARS Employee

Submitted to: Environmental Entomology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/16/2026
Publication Date: 3/11/2026
Citation: Meagher Jr, R.L., Adamczyk, J.J., Renkema, J., Lance, D., Brambila, J. 2026. Cross attraction to various Spodoptera species using pheromone lures for native and exotic species. Environmental Entomology. 55(2). https://doi.org/10.1093/ee/nvag006.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/ee/nvag006

Interpretive Summary: Many pest moth species cause damage to corn, sorghum, cotton, pasture grasses, and other crops. Some of these, such as the fall armyworm, are migratory and can move long distances providing major challenges for farmers. Every spring and summer, migratory moth species move out of their overwintering range and move into new habitats to damage agricultural crops. Farmers use traps with pheromone lures for specific target species to monitor these populations, and researchers use pheromone traps to detect exotic species that might be present. Collaborators from USDA-APHIS and a former University of Florida scientist, along with a scientist from USDA, ARS, CMAVE in Gainesville, Florida, compared attraction of moth species to different pheromone lures. Lures formulated for exotic species also attracted several native species, and lures for native species attracted the target species as well as other native species. Because of the larger range of species attracted and non-specificity of some lures, farmers, consultants, and researchers need to carefully identify the species attracted and captured in pheromone traps to exclude non-target species when making crop management decisions.

Technical Abstract: Previous research showed that the pheromone lure commercially produced for the exotic species Spodoptera exempta captured two native species, S. albula and S. latifascia. This study expanded that work to identify the Spodoptera species that were attracted to lures for S. albula, S. cosmioides, S. eridania, S. exempta, S. exigua, S. frugiperda, S. latifascia, S. litura, and S. mauritia. In all trapping sites in Texas and Florida, S. exempta lures attracted S. latifascia and S. albula moths, sometimes at densities of over 80 moths per night. These lures, along with those designed for those species, provided seasonal information for species that are not routinely monitored. Lures for the South American species S. cosmioides consistently attracted the native non-pest S. dolichos. Lures designed for S. littoralis from the Old World and S. litura from Asia also attracted native species. Trapping in a strawberry production area highlighted the possibility that S. latifascia and S. albula are potential pest species. Trials comparing different plastic-colored traps suggest that all white and green traps attracted fewer Spodoptera species moths than standard-colored Unitraps, which are green, yellow, and white.