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Multi-Species Mating Disruption in Cranberries (Ericales:
Ericaceae): Early Evidence Using a Flowable Emulsion
Shawn A. Steffan,
1,2,3
Elissa M. Chasen,
1,2
Annie E. Deutsch,
2,4
and
Agenor Mafra-Neto
5
1
USDA-ARS Vegetable Crops Research Unit, 1630 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706 (shawn.steffan@ars.usda.gov; elissa.chasen@
ars.usda.gov),
2
Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin, 1630 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706 (steffan@entomology.
wisc.edu; elissa.chasen@ars.usda.gov; adeutsch@co.door.wi.us),
3
Corresponding author, e-mail: (steffan@entomology.wisc.edu),
4
Door County University of Wisconsin-Extension, 421 Nebraska St., Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (adeutsch@co.door.wi.us), and
5
ISCA
Technologies, Incorporated, 1230 W. Spring St., Riverside, CA 92507 (president@iscatech.com)
Subject Editor: Cesar Rodriguez-Saona
Received 11 October 2016; Editorial decision 11 March 2017
Abstract
Pheromone-based mating disruption has proven to be a powerful pest management tactic in many cropping
systems. However, in the cranberry system, a viable mating disruption program does not yet exist. There are
commercially available pheromones for several of the major pests of cranberries, including the cranberry fruit-
worm, Acrobasis vaccinii Riley (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) and blackheaded fireworm, Rhopobota naevana
(Hu¨ bner) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Previous studies have shown that mating disruption represents a promising
approach for R. naevana management although carrier and delivery technologies have remained unresolved.
The present study examined the suitability of Specialized Pheromone & Lure Application Technology (SPLAT;
ISCA Technologies, Inc., Riverside, CA), a proprietary wax and oil blend, to serve as a pheromone carrier in the
cranberry system. In 2013 and 2014, we tested a blend of pheromones targeting A. vaccinii and R. naevana in
field-scale, replicated trials. Pheromones were loaded into SPLAT and the resulting “SPLAT BFW CFW” formu-
lation was deployed in commercial cranberry marshes. We compared moth trap-catch counts within SPLAT-
treated blocks to those of conventionally managed blocks. In 2013, applications of SPLAT BFW CFW resulted in
highly successful disruption of R. naevana and promising, though inconsistent, disruption of A. vaccinii. To im-
prove disruption of A. vaccinii, the pheromone load was increased in 2014, providing 92% and 74% reductions
in trap-catch for R. naevana and A. vaccinii, respectively. Importantly, larval infestation rates in SPLAT-treated
blocks were lower than those of conventionally managed blocks. These results suggest that a multispecies mat-
ing disruption system (SPLAT BFW CFW) may represent an effective pesticide-alternative for serious pests of
cranberries.
Key words: blackheaded fireworm, cranberry fruitworm, pheromone, SPLAT
Mating disruption is a pest management technology in which the
sex pheromones of insect species are released within a cropping sys-
tem, limiting the capacity of the targeted species to find mates and
reproduce (Miller and Gut 2015). The proposed mechanisms by
which mating disruption operates include camouflage of the fe-
male’s pheromone signal (such that mating is significantly delayed
or preempted altogether), sensory habituation, and blocking of the
receptor sites on the male’s antennae (Minks and Carde´ 1988,
Carde´ and Minks 1995,Sanders 1997,Miller and Gut 2015). Given
its unique mode of action and reliable efficacy, mating disruption
can be incorporated into existing pest management programs with-
out interfering with other pest management strategies, such as bio-
logical control (Brunner et al. 2002,Jones et al. 2010). Use of
mating disruption can lead to a reduction in the number of
conventional chemical insecticide applications needed to prevent
economic damage to the crop, while helping to forestall resistance to
insecticides (Suckling et al. 1990).
A critical element in the success of any mating disruption system
is the carrier/dispenser. Such carrier technologies must be suitable
for the cropping system and easily incorporated into management
practices. This often represents a significant obstacle, but in the
cranberry system, it appears to have been resolved using a proprie-
tary wax and oil emulsion, referred to as SPLAT (Specialized
Pheromone & Lure Application Technology; ISCA Technologies,
Inc., Riverside, CA). SPLAT is a food-grade wax and oil emulsion
into which synthetic pheromones can be impregnated (Mafra-Neto
et al. 2013). The SPLAT matrix serves as a slow-release carrier of
pheromones (Stelinski et al. 2010,Deutsch 2014) and protects the
Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Entomological Society of America 2017.
This work is written by US Government employees and is in the public domain in the US. 1
Journal of Insect Science (2017) 17(2): 54; 1–6
doi: 10.1093/jisesa/iex025
Research article
pheromones from premature degradation due to rain or ultraviolet
radiation, allowing the pheromones to persist within its matrix for
months. Additionally, the SPLAT matrix is biodegradable, so it does
not interfere with harvest and can be applied mechanically (Teixeira
et al. 2010). Mixed with insect sex pheromones, SPLAT formula-
tions have been shown to successfully disrupt mating of insect spe-
cies in a variety of agricultural systems, including the oriental fruit
moth (Grapholita molesta Busck) (Stelinski et al. 2007), grape berry
moth (Paralobesia viteana Clemens) (Jenkins and Isaacs 2008,
Teixeira et al. 2010), citrus leafminer (Phyllocnistis citrella
Stainton) (Stelinski et al. 2010), and gypsy moth (Onufrieva et al.
2010,Miller and Gut 2015). Further, the per-acre costs of SPLAT
for growers appear to be comparable to those of conventional pest
control technologies, as evidenced by the worldwide use of SPLAT
and continued commercial availability of this and similar
pheromone-based technologies (e.g., see online catalogs of ISCA
Technologies, Inc.).
Typically, mating disruption in a given cropping system focuses
on a single pest species. Multi-species mating disruption systems
must contend with a variety of additional issues, such as asynchrony
in the timing of pest flights, unavailability of pheromones from mul-
tiple pest species, and interference among pheromone components
(Mafra-Neto et al. 2013). Further, any multispecies mating disrup-
tion system will require the integration of multiple pheromone
blends, necessitating a greater volume of semiochemicals (phero-
mones) needed for effective disruption, which can become cost-
prohibitive. Semiochemicals, per unit mass, tend to be much more
expensive than insecticides (Miller and Gut 2015), so the cost–bene-
fit tradeoff can impose significant constraints on the amount of
semiochemicals that can be deployed to achieve pest suppression.
Thus, in crops with multiple significant pests, an effective multispe-
cies mating disruption system could be highly advantageous if it
could preclude the expense of “clean-up” sprays, which are some-
times needed when single-species mating disruption systems allow
secondary pests to proliferate.
In U.S. cranberries, there are multiple significant insect pests that
are perennial problems for the industry. The cranberry plant
(Vaccinium macrocarpon Aiton) is native to North America and is
attacked by many native herbivores, notably three lepidopteran spe-
cies: cranberry fruitworm (Acrobasis vaccinii Riley), blackheaded
fireworm (Rhopobota naevana Hu¨ bner), and Sparganothis sulfur-
eana Clemens (Eck 1990). The cranberry fruitworm, in particular, is
generally considered the top pest threat for Wisconsin growers
(Chasen and Steffan 2016). Fortuitously, the pheromones of these
moth pests have been isolated, characterized, and tested for use
within lures or mating disruption programs (McDonough et al.
1987;Fitzpatrick et al. 1995,2004;Polavarapu et al. 2001). In addi-
tion, the spring flights of these three moth species are synchronous
in Wisconsin (Steffan et al. 2017), which means that a single appli-
cation of a pheromone-loaded carrier should be able to simulta-
neously provide mating disruption of all three species.
Previous work in cranberries has targeted either R. naevana, the
blackheaded fireworm (Fitzpatrick et al. 1995,2004;Baker et al.
1997;Fadamiro et al. 1998), or S. sulfureana (Polavarapu et al.
2001). These studies reported very promising evidence that mating
disruption represents an effective, viable approach to cranberry pest
management. Despite the early successes with blackheaded fire-
worm and sparganothis fruitworm disruption, currently there is no
mating disruption system commercially available for cranberry
growers. This is likely the result of many factors, including logistical
and economic issues associated with the carrier system, regional dif-
ferences in pest complexes (Deutsch 2014), and the lack of MD
efficacy data for what is arguably the most significant pest of the
U.S. cranberry crop: A. vaccinii, the cranberry fruitworm.
The objective of the research presented here was to test the ca-
pacity of a flowable emulsion (SPLAT) to provide effective mating
disruption of the blackheaded fireworm and cranberry fruitworm by
volatizing sex pheromones within the cranberry canopy during the
spring mating flights of these species. This work spanned 2 yr, focus-
ing on two of the most consistent pests of cranberries in the upper
Midwest, USA. The sparganothis fruitworm was not included in the
current study because preliminary testing had indicated this moth’s
response to the SPLAT formulation was highly variable, which ap-
peared to be too time-intensive and expensive to resolve at the time.
Given funding constraints, the near-term solution to the issue was to
increase the pheromone load of the cranberry fruitworm rather than
spend inordinate amounts of time and resources investigating the
appropriate sparganothis pheromone blend.
Previous studies have shown that the SPLAT matrix can hold and
slowly volatilize pheromones for 8þwk, even when exposed to direct
sunlight, heat, rain, and wind (Deutsch 2014). Efficacy data for these
two species will serve as the basis for future work in which additional
pest species (e.g., sparganothis fruitworm) and new, mechanized de-
ployment systems are investigated as candidates for an area-wide,
multi-species mating disruption system for cranberries.
Materials and Methods
“SPLAT BFW CFW” Formulation
The molecular identities and loading concentrations of the sex pher-
omones for the targeted species (A. vaccinii and R. naevana) were
based on previous studies (McDonough et al. 1994,Fitzpatrick et al.
1995). The active ingredients (AIs) for the cranberry fruitworm (A.
vaccinii) pheromone blend were E8,Z10-15:Ac and E9-15:Ac, com-
bined at a 100:4 ratio (McDonough et al. 1994). These compounds
were blended and applied at 25.7 g AI/ha in 2013. The rate for the
A. vaccinii pheromone blend was increased 40% to 36.0 g AI/ha in
2014. The AIs of the blackheaded fireworm (R. naevana) phero-
mone were 69.2% Z11-14:Ac, 23.1% Z11-14:OH, and 7.7%
Z9-12:Ac, applied at 74.1 g AI/ha in both 2013 and 2014. All sex
pheromone components were incorporated into SPLAT, and the
final formulation (SPLAT BFW CFW) was applied at 2.47 kg/ha, in
“dollops” of 1 g each. Respectively, 20.2 and 20.0 ha were treated
with SPLAT BFW CFW in 2013 and 2014.
Site Selection
This research project was performed on commercial cranberry
marshes in central Wisconsin. Given that the project was conducted
at large spatial scales on commercial acreage, there was the potential
that completely untreated controls would impose undue risk on
grower revenue; thus, it was necessary to consider standard grower
practice as the conventional, baseline control (a positive control
treatment). The SPLAT treatments were applied as additions to con-
ventionally managed acreage, allowing us to explicitly test standard
grower practice vs. standard grower practice þSPLAT. In so doing,
we were able to isolate the benefit, if any, conferred by SPLAT on
standard grower practice. Conventional insect pest management in
Wisconsin cranberries is generally represented by 2–3 insecticide
applications throughout the season. Importantly, whatever insecti-
cides were applied at any given marsh, the sprays were applied uni-
formly to both the SPLAT and non-SPLAT blocks.
Marshes were selected based on similarity in historical pest pres-
sure, bed size, and total marsh size. All beds selected were of the
2Journal of Insect Science, 2017, Vol. 17, No. 2
“Stevens” variety, and each tended to be 1.5–2 ha. In 2013, SPLAT
BFW CFW was applied at six marshes, three in Wood County and
three in Monroe County. In 2014, SPLAT BFW CFW was applied at
five marshes (three of which were repeated from the previous year).
At each marsh, 2–5 contiguous beds were treated, and a buffer dis-
tance of approximately 460 m (ranging from 130 to 730 m) was
maintained between the treated beds and the corresponding conven-
tionally managed (control) beds. The SPLAT BFW CFW beds were
located near a marsh edge to prevent excessive moth immigration
into the treated beds from neighboring untreated beds. Both years,
the SPLAT BFW CFW beds and conventional beds were managed
for insect pests (via an insecticide application or spring flood) before
SPLAT BFW CFW was applied. In 2013, the SPLAT-treated beds
were managed with insecticides only if the moth populations were
above acceptable levels, as determined by crop consultants and
growers, but the conventional beds were treated with insecticides at
the growers’ discretion. However, because this created irregular,
asymmetric pest management effort within and between treatments,
the treatment regimen was refined in 2014 such that the SPLAT
BFW CFW beds were treated with insecticides whenever the conven-
tional beds were treated with insecticides. Thus, in 2014, the effect
of SPLAT BFW CFW represented the added marginal benefit of hav-
ing mating disruption operating across insecticide-managed acreage.
All beds had been treated similarly with regard to fertilizer, fungi-
cide, or herbicide.
SPLAT BFW CFW Application
SPLAT BFW CFW was applied in 1 g dollops using 18-V grease
guns (Lincoln; Gempler’s, Janesville, WI) and deposited on the
woody runners (stolons) of the cranberry canopy, forming a grid of
dollops comprised of 16 rows running length-wise down each cran-
berry bed. SPLAT rows were evenly spaced across the beds, and
given that bed dimensions varied somewhat, the spacing between
treated rows ranged from 3 to 4 m. Distance between dollops within
a row were approximately 2 m. Both years a total of 1 kg of SPLAT
BFW CFW was applied per 0.4 ha, resulting in approximately 1,000
point sources per 0.4 ha. Each dollop was dispensed directly onto
the woody “runners” (stolons) of the cranberry vines (Fig. 1).
SPLAT BFW CFW was applied just before the beginning of adult
flight for the two species. The initiation of their spring flights was
predicted using DD benchmarks determined in previous phenology
studies (Deutsch et al. 2014,Steffan et al. 2017). In 2013, SPLAT
BFW CFW was applied the week of June 10. In 2014, it was applied
the week of May 19, approximately 2 wk before flight began.
Sampling
Mating disruption efficacy was based on male moth counts in
pheromone-baited traps, as well as berry infestation rates. Trap-
catch data were collected in both 2013 and 2014; berry infestation
data were collected in 2014.
Pheromone Trapping. Two sets of Pherocon II traps (Great Lakes
IPM, Vestaburg, MI), each containing lures for both species (2
traps/species 2 species ¼4 traps in a given block) were staked
along the edge of the innermost bed for each marsh-treatment. Trap
sets were placed on either end of the bed to ensure adequate repre-
sentation for each marsh-treatment. Traps were checked and emp-
tied weekly, and replaced as needed. Lures were replaced every 3 wk
per manufacturers’ recommendations. Trap counts were averaged
per species per marsh-treatment.
In 2013, A. vaccinii lures were purchased from Great Lakes
IPM, and R. naevana lures were purchased from Scentry Biologicals,
Inc. (Billings, MT). However, 5 wk after the SPLAT BFW CFW
application, all of the CFW traps (including the conventionally man-
aged control blocks) produced no moths. At this point, the Great
Lakes IPM cranberry fruitworm lures were replaced by lures made
by ISCA Technologies. In 2014, all lures were supplied by ISCA
Technologies, and trapping continued for the subsequent 5 wk.
Damaged Berry Assessment. In 2014, to assess damaged berries,
prematurely red berries were collected in treated and conventional
beds. Damaged cranberries turn red as a stress response, so they are
readily visible upon inspection (Franklin 1948,Neunzig 1972).
Berries were collected by walking the edge of the innermost bed for
each marsh-treatment, randomly stopping 40 times along this trans-
ect and visually scanning for 10 s at each stop. We repeated this sam-
pling protocol three separate times over the course of 3 wk.
Damaged berries were reported as number of insect-damaged berries
per sampling effort. In the second week of berry sampling, only four
of the five sites could be sampled because a recent insecticide appli-
cation precluded entry at one of the marshes.
Statistical Analysis
Pheromone Trapping. Because pheromone loading in SPLAT BFW
CFW differed between years, data were analyzed separately for each
year. All replicates were analyzed within a randomized complete block
design. Trap catches for both species were analyzed as mixed-effects
models, in which the random effect was treatment nested within marsh
and included an autocorrelation to account for repeated measures
(Pinheiro and Bates 2000). The response variable was the A. vaccinii
or R. naevana moth-counts, square-root transformed in order to best
meet model assumptions. Fixed effects were the main effects of treat-
ment and week and their interaction. While analyses were performed
on transformed data, untransformed data are represented in figures.
Damaged Berry Assessment. Damaged berry counts were analyzed
via one-way repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA).
After determining that Marsh was not a significant predictor of
damaged berry response, independent variables were confined to
treatment and week (and their interactions) on the number of dam-
aged berries. To account for non-normality of data, rank
Fig. 1. One gram “dollop” of SPLAT BFW CFW deposited on the woody run-
ners (stolons) of the cranberry canopy.
Journal of Insect Science, 2017, Vol. 17, No. 2 3
transformations were performed. Data points with standardized
residuals >3.0 were considered outliers and removed from the data
set because damaged berries often occur in hotspots and we wanted
the sample to be representative; this resulted in the removal of two
data points. All analyses were conducted in R version 3.2.2 (R Core
Team 2015) with the package nlme (Pinheiro et al. 2014). Figures
were created with package ggplot2 (Wickham 2009).
Results
2013
Rhopobota naevana
Significantly more R. naevana moths were caught in conventionally
treated beds than in SPLAT-treated beds during the 2013 flight
(June 24–July 16) (F
1,5
¼8.19, P¼0.04) (Fig. 2a). Mean trap-catch
in the conventional beds was 1.17 60.42 (61 SE) moths, while in
the SPLAT BFW CFW beds mean trap-catch was 0.25 60.10 moths,
representing a 79% reduction in the number of moths caught in dis-
rupted beds. Across all traps, populations of R. naevana were low
throughout the season, regardless of treatment. Difference in trap
catches did not vary by week (F
3,30
¼1.27, P¼0.30) (Fig. 2a).
Acrobasis vaccinii
During the first 5 wk in 2013, the commercial pheromone lures
(manufactured by Great Lakes IPM, Inc.) that had been deployed
for A. vaccinii did not attract moths at any site. At week-6 of trap
deployment, lures were replaced with those of a new supplier (ISCA
Technologies, Inc.), at which point moths were immediately caught.
Thus, during the first month of the A.vaccinii flight, it was not pos-
sible to compare SPLAT BFW CFW beds to conventional beds,
which essentially truncated the duration of treatment effects by
approximately one-half. Following the lure-swap, data were avail-
able to assess the impacts of SPLAT BFW CFW (July 15 to August
13). There was no significant difference in cranberry fruitworm
trap-catch between the SPLAT BFW CFW and conventional beds
(F
1, 5
¼3.30, P¼0.13) and this trend did not vary significantly
across time (F
4,38
¼0.65, P¼0.63) (Fig. 2b). Mean trap-catch in
conventional beds was 25.1 65.2, while in SPLAT BFW CFW beds,
mean trap-catch was 11.8 63.5, representing a 53% reduction.
2014
Rhopobota naevana
Populations of R. naevana populations were more abundant in 2014
than in 2013. Based on trap counts, the male flight lasted 8 wk,
from June 9 to July 28. Male numbers in the conventional beds were
significantly higher than those in the SPLAT BFW CFW beds (F
1,4
¼8.78, P¼0.04) (Fig. 3a). Across all sites and sample dates, mean
trap-catch in SPLAT BFW CFW beds was 0.15 60.07 (61 SE)
moths while mean trap-catch in the conventional beds was
1.80 60.58 moths, which represented a 92% reduction in the num-
ber of moths caught in SPLAT BFW CFW beds. Difference in trap
catches did not vary as a function of time (F
7,56
¼1.42, P¼0.22).
Acrobasis vaccinii
Male A. vaccinii moths were caught in traps for six weeks, from
June 9 to July 30. There were significantly more moths caught in
conventional blocks than in SPLAT BFW CFW blocks (F
1,4
¼37.71,
P<0.01), and the degree of this effect varied significantly over time
(F
6,48
¼2.59, P¼0.03) (Fig. 3b). Across the summer and sites,
mean moth trap-catch in SPLAT BFW CFW beds was 9.2 62.0 (61
SE) while mean trap-catch in conventional beds was 35.3 64.6.
Disruption across the season averaged 74%.
Damaged Berries
Initial analysis showed that marsh was not a significant predictor of
the number of damaged berries (F
4,14
¼1.90, P¼0.17) so analysis
proceeded with a repeated measures ANOVA. The number of dam-
aged berries found in the conventional beds was significantly greater
Fig. 2. (a) 2013 adult male blackheaded fireworm (R. naevana) (mean 61 SE) caught in pheromone traps. Trap-catch in conventionally managed (i.e., insecticide-
only) control beds (solid line) versus SPLAT-treated beds (broken line) was compared over time. Weeks 1 and 2 were removed due to zero trap-catch. (b) 2013
adult male cranberry fireworm (A. vaccinii) (mean 61 SE) caught in pheromone traps. Trap-catch in conventionally managed control beds (solid line) and SPLAT-
treated (broken line) beds were compared over time. Weeks 1–5 were omitted due to ineffective lures.
4Journal of Insect Science, 2017, Vol. 17, No. 2
than in beds treated with SPLAT BFW CFW (F
1,20
¼5.78, P¼0.03).
The mean number of damaged berries found in SPLAT BFW CFW
beds over the three sample weeks was 12.6 62.6 (61SE),whilethe
mean number found in conventional beds was 25.4 64.8. This repre-
sented a 50% reduction in damaged berries. Neither week (F
2,20
¼3.00, P¼0.07) nor the interaction of treatment week (F
2,20
¼1.64, P¼0.22) was significant. It is important to note that cranberry
fruits are damaged directly by both A. vaccinii and another pest (S. sul-
fureana). To distinguish between A. vaccinii and S. sulfureana damage
in those instances where the larva was no longer present within the
berry, we relied on a distinctive behavioral attribute of A. vaccinii lar-
vae: the presence of frass within the berry (Neunzig 1972). Based on
the frequency of frass observed in damaged berries, the vast majority of
the berry damage in our study was due to A. vaccinii.
Discussion
This study represents the first field deployment of a multi-species
mating disruption system in cranberries, and the first time that a
mating disruption system targeting the cranberry fruitworm has
been shown to be successful. Further, it is the first reported use of
SPLAT as a pheromone carrier in cranberries. Our data indicate that
the multi-species pheromone blend within the SPLAT BFW CFW
formulation provided significant evidence of mating disruption for
two major cranberry pests. For both R. naevana and A. vaccinii,
reduced numbers of moths were caught in SPLAT BFW CFW beds
in each year of the study, suggesting that males of each species suf-
fered reduced mate-finding capacities. As further evidence of mating
disruption, in 2014, we observed a significantly decreased number
of damaged berries in the beds treated with SPLAT BFW CFW.
Across all beds and years, populations of R. naevana were rela-
tively low at our study sites. Nonetheless, significantly fewer moths
were caught in the SPLAT BFW CFW beds than in the conventionally
managed beds. Based on these results, future mating disruption work
with R. naevana should maintain the respective pheromone concentra-
tions used in the present study. Indeed, the average level of disruption
found in our study was similar to that of previous studies (Fitzpatrick
et al. 1995,2004;Baker et al. 1997), demonstrating that R. naevana
populations can be readily suppressed using mating disruption. R. nae-
vana is a serious pest in most North American cranberry growing
regions, so mating disruption using SPLAT BFW CFW has the poten-
tial to be a valuable resource for the entire cranberry industry.
Similarly, A. vaccinii trap-counts in 2014 indicated that A. vacci-
nii can be significantly disrupted using SPLAT BFW CFW. In 2013,
the pheromone load was lower, and while it did reduce trap-catch by
53% compared to that of conventional blocks, this level of disruption
was not high enough to be considered adequate. To address this, in
2014, the pheromone concentrations were increased, and this increase
led to significant disruption (74%). Additionally, in 2014 we found
significantly fewer damaged berries in SPLAT-treated beds than in
conventional beds (a 50% reduction in berry infestation). This reduc-
tion represented a substantial improvement in the level of protection
conferred by conventional cranberry pest management.
Future work will incorporate three refinements. First, the particular
blend of S. sulfureana sex pheromones, and ratios thereof, will need to
be explored further, hopefully converging on a recipe that is more allur-
ing for the male moths. Such work will be based on various preliminary
investigations in 2012 and 2013 (Deutsch 2014). This pheromone
blend will be added to the current mix of A. vaccinii and R. naevana,
making the SPLAT “cocktail” a three-species blend. Doing so will
allow a single SPLAT treatment to address three major insect pests of
cranberries. The second refinement to the current mating disruption
system will be an increase in the total area treated. Whole-marsh treat-
ments, and eventually area-wide applications will serve to eliminate
breeding hotspots within cranberry growing regions. Mating disruption
is most effective when implemented at very large, area-wide spatial
scales because it limits the possibility that mated females can emigrate
from untreated areas into treated areas (Welter et al. 2005). Therefore,
increasing the area treated has the potential to not only cast a broader
Fig. 3. (a)2014 adult male blackheaded fireworm (R. naevana) (mean 61 SE) caught in pheromone traps. Trap-catch in conventionally managed (i.e., insecticide-
only) control beds (solid line) and SPLAT-treated beds (broken line) were compared over time. (b) 2014 adult male cranberry fireworm (A. vaccinii) (mean 61 SE)
caught in pheromone traps. Trap-catch in conventionally managed control (solid line) and SPLAT-treated (broken line) beds were compared over time.
Journal of Insect Science, 2017, Vol. 17, No. 2 5
“net,” but also close gaps in this net. Finally, future work will include
testing of methods to mechanize the deployment of SPLAT, including
via unmanned aerial vehicles and retrofitting of boom sprayers. Such
trials will make the deployment of mating disruption systems more effi-
cient, thereby facilitating integration into commercial-scale IPM
programs.
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural
Research Service (Current Research Information System #3655-21220-001,
appropriated to S.A.S.), the Cranberry Institute, and the Wisconsin Cranberry
Board. We extend thanks to Tim Dittl, Jayne Sojka (Lady Bug IPM, Inc.),
Chris Watson, Scott Lee, Sacha Horn, and the cranberry growers of
Wisconsin who allowed us to work on their farms.
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