Trapping economically important noctuid moths with sex pheromones and floral chemicals

Authors: Meagher Jr, Robert; TESSNOW, A. - Orise Fellow

Submitted to: Environmental Entomology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/20/2026
Publication Date: 6/13/2026
Citation: Meagher Jr, R.L., Tessnow, A.E. 2026. Trapping economically important noctuid moths with sex pheromones and floral chemicals. Environmental Entomology. 55(3). https://doi.org/10.1093/ee/nvag066.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/ee/nvag066

Interpretive Summary: Previous research showed that certain agricultural pest moths were captured in traps baited with floral attractants, but comparisons among traps with sex pheromones, floral attractants, and pheromones plus floral attractants was never tested. Scientists from USDA-ARS, Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology in Gainesville, Florida compared these treatments in a 17-month trial at a large agricultural experiment station in north-central Florida. Trap capture of moths to sex pheromone lures for fall armyworm (FAW) and soybean looper (SBL) were compared to capture in traps baited with the volatile floral attractants. Combination lures that included both female sex pheromone and floral attractants were added to the trial to determine if the two lures increased or decreased trap capture. Over the course of the study we captured over 4,400 fall armyworm moths, with 69% found in the pheromone-only traps and 31% found in traps baited with the combination lures, suggesting floral attractants repelled fall armyworm moths. Conversely, we collected 912 soybean looper moths, with 32% found in the pheromone-only traps and 68% captured in traps with the combined lures, suggesting the floral attractants increased soybean looper moth capture. Other moth species were captured in traps, including the serious pest corn earworm, looper species, armyworm species, and grass looper species. These results suggest that the use of floral attractants for moth trapping can either increase or decrease trap capture, depending on the species of interest.

Technical Abstract: Previous research showed that certain noctuid moths were captured in Unitraps baited with the floral kairomone attractants phenylacetaldehyde and ß-myrcene, but comparisons among traps with sex pheromones, floral attractants, and pheromones plus floral attractants was never tested. We compared these treatments in a 17-month trial at a large agricultural experiment station in north-central Florida. Trap capture of moths to sex pheromone lures for fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) and soybean looper (SBL), Chrysodeixis includens (Walker) were compared to capture in traps baited with the volatile floral chemicals. Combination lures that included both female sex pheromone and floral volatiles were added to the trial to determine if there was synergistic attraction to traps. Pheromone lures for corn earworm (CEW), Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) were added as a treatment to document seasonality of this pest species in the region. Over the course of the study we captured over 4,400 fall armyworm moths, with 69% found in the pheromone-only traps and 31% found in traps baited with the combination lures, suggesting floral attractants repelled fall armyworm moths. Conversely, we collected 912 soybean looper moths, with 32% found in the pheromone-only traps and 68% captured in traps with the combined lures, suggesting the floral attractants synergized soybean looper moth capture. Other moth species were captured in pheromone-baited traps, including the looper species Argyrogramma verruca (F.), Ctenoplusia oxygramma (Geyer), Rachiplusia ou (Guenée), and Trichoplusia ni (Hübner) in SBL pheromone baited traps, and the Spodoptera species S. albula (Walker), S. dolichos (F.), S. eridania (Stoll in Cramer), S. latifascia (Walker), and S. ornithogalli (Guenée) in FAW pheromone-baited traps. Additionally, several other moth species were attracted to lures containing floral attractants, including various species in the genus Mocis, and in the genus Leucania, as well as Anticarsia gemmatalis Hübner, Feltia subterranea (F.), Anicla infecta (Ochsenheimer), and Mythimna unipuncta (Haworth). These results suggest that the use of floral kairomone attractants for moth trapping can act as synergists or antagonists to either increase or decrease trap capture, depending on the species of interest.