**2. Materials and methods**

In this chapter we present the results of monitoring of 14 different insect pests in Slovenia (Table 1, Figure 1) with the use of pheromone traps in the period 2004-2010. The majority of the results was performed within the framework of pedagogical work – graduation theses and master thesis – and scientific work at the Dept. of Agronomy, Biotechnical Faculy, Uni‐ versity of Ljubljana (Slovenia) under the supervison of Prof. Stanislav Trdan.


identified pheromones from over 1,500 different species of insects. With insects, though, pheromones have found wide application in the fields of agriculture, forestry, and urban pest management, and there are companies that specialize in the discovery, manufactur‐

There are three main uses of pheromones in the integrated pest management of insects (Witzgall, 2001). The most important application is in monitoring a population of insects to determine if they are present or absent in an area or to determine if enough insects are present to warrant a costly treatment. This monitoring function is the keystone of integrated pest management. Monitoring is used extensively in urban pest control of cockroaches, in the management of stored grain pests in warehouses or distribution centers, and to track the

A second major use of pheromones is to mass trap insects to remove large numbers of insects from the breeding and feeding population. Massive reductions in the population density of pest insects ultimately help to protect resources such as food or fiber for hu‐ man use. Mass trapping has been used successfully against the codling moth, a serious

A third major application of pheromones is in the disruption of mating in populations of in‐ sects. This has been most effectively used with agriculturally important moth pests (Wald‐ ner, 1997). In this scenario, synthetic pheromone is dispersed into crops and the false odor plumes attract males away from females that are waiting to mate. This causes a reduction of mating, and thus reduces the population density of the pests. In some cases, the effect has

In summary, pheromones are species-specific chemicals that affect insect behavior, but are not toxic to insects. They are active (e.g. attractive) in extremely low doses (one millionth of an ounce) and are used to bait traps or confuse a mating population of insects. Pheromones can play an important role in integrated pest management for structural, landscape, agricul‐

The aim of our research was to study the seasonal dynamics of different insect pests in Slov‐ enia to acquire the informations which are important for improving the control strategy of

In this chapter we present the results of monitoring of 14 different insect pests in Slovenia (Table 1, Figure 1) with the use of pheromone traps in the period 2004-2010. The majority of the results was performed within the framework of pedagogical work – graduation theses and master thesis – and scientific work at the Dept. of Agronomy, Biotechnical Faculy, Uni‐

versity of Ljubljana (Slovenia) under the supervison of Prof. Stanislav Trdan.

been so great that the pests have been locally eradicated (Thomson, 1997).

tural, or forest pest problems (Witzgall, 2001).

**2. Materials and methods**

the pests based on environmentally friendly friendly concepts.

ing, and sales of pheromone-related products (Thomson, 1997).

146 Insecticides - Development of Safer and More Effective Technologies

nationwide spread of certain major pests (Thomson, 1997).

pest of apples and pears.


**Figure 1.** Locations of monitoring 14 different insect pests in 26 locations in Slovenia. Each number means specific

Research on Seasonal Dynamics of 14 Different Insects Pests in Slovenia Using Pheromone Traps

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/53186

149

The Indian meal moth (*Plodia interpunctella* [Hübner]; Lepidoptera, Pyralidae) Mediterranean Flour Moth (*Angusta kuehniella* [Zeller]; Lepidoptera, Pyralidae)

Swede midge (*Contarinia nasturtii* [Kieffer]; Diptera, Cecidomyiidae)

Beet moth (*Scrobipalpa ocellatella* Boyd; Lepidoptera, Gelechiidae)

The Codling moth (*Cydia pomonella* [L.]); Lepidoptera, Tortricidae)

Flea beetle (*Phyllotreta* spp.; Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae)

The diamondback moth (*Plutella xylostella* [L.]; Lepidoptera, Plutellidae)

The Angoumois Grain Moth (*Sitotroga cerealella* [Olivier]; Lepidoptera, Gelechiidae)

The turnip moth (*Agrotis segetum* [Denis & Schiffermüller]; Lepidoptera, Noctuidae)

The Plum Fruit Moth (*Grapholita funebrana* [Treitschke]; Lepidoptera, Tortricidae)

The Red-belted Clearwing (*Synanthedon myopaeformis* [Borkhausen]; Lepidoptera, Sesiidae)

location where the monitoring took place (seeTable 1).

Studied insect species:

**2.** Vegetable pests

**2.** Field crop pests

**2.** Fruit tree and grapevine pests

**a.** Stored product pests

\* Coordinates and elevation already mentioned in upper cell

The numbers within parenthesis behind all locations are designed for easier visibility of Figure 1.

**Table 1.** Insect species monitored with pheromone traps in Slovenia in the period 2004-2010.

Research on Seasonal Dynamics of 14 Different Insects Pests in Slovenia Using Pheromone Traps http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/53186 149

**Figure 1.** Locations of monitoring 14 different insect pests in 26 locations in Slovenia. Each number means specific location where the monitoring took place (seeTable 1).

Studied insect species:

**Species Host plant Monitoring**

stored cereals and their products

stored cereals and their products

stored cereals and their products

*Lobesia botrana*

*Phyllotreta* spp.

*Plodia interpunctella*

*Plodia interpunctella*

*Plutella xylostella*

*Scrobipalpa ocellatella*

*Scrobipalpa ocellatella*

*Sitotroga cerealella*

*Synanthedon myopaeformis*

*Synanthedon myopaeformis* Rakitnica (14)\* Želimlje (7)\*

148 Insecticides - Development of Safer and More Effective Technologies

13°40′7″E, 135 m

Želimlje (7)\* Obrije (8)\* Lipovci (9)\* Jable (10)\*

Želimlje (7)\* Obrije (8)\* Jable (10)\*

sugarbeet Cvetkovci (4)\*

\* Coordinates and elevation already mentioned in upper cell

Rakičan (5)\*

15°34′22″E, 151 m Kranj (6)\*

Dobrovnik (23): 46°39′6″N, 16°20′53″E, 172 m Koper (24): 45°32′47″N, 13°43′46″E, 10 m Kromberk near Nova Gorica (25): 45°57′33″N,

**Location (Coordinates and elevation) Year Reference(s)**

grapevine Gaberje pri Ajdovščini (11)\* 2007 Florijančič (2010)

cabbage Ljubljana (13)\* 2006 Trdan and Bobnar (2007)

cabbage Ljubljana (13)\* 2006 Trdan and Bobnar (2007)

fodder beet Podobeno (2)\* 2010 Dolenec (2012)

Obrije (8)\* 2004-2

apple Bojsno (27): 45°58′13″N, 15°40′15″E, 242 m 2009 Hriberšek (2012)

apple Roginska Gorca (28): 46°10′48″N, 15°34′30″E, 208 m 2008 Gradič (2009)

Gornji Lenart near Brežice (26): 45°55′48″N,

The numbers within parenthesis behind all locations are designed for easier visibility of Figure 1.

**Table 1.** Insect species monitored with pheromone traps in Slovenia in the period 2004-2010.

Kržišnik (2009)

Trdan et al. (2010)

Rešetič (2008)

Zalokar (2009)Trdan et al.

2004 Valič et al. (2005) Čepin (2006)

(2010)

2004 Selišnik (2007)

2004-2 005

005

**a.** Stored product pests

The Indian meal moth (*Plodia interpunctella* [Hübner]; Lepidoptera, Pyralidae)

Mediterranean Flour Moth (*Angusta kuehniella* [Zeller]; Lepidoptera, Pyralidae)

The Angoumois Grain Moth (*Sitotroga cerealella* [Olivier]; Lepidoptera, Gelechiidae)

**2.** Vegetable pests

Swede midge (*Contarinia nasturtii* [Kieffer]; Diptera, Cecidomyiidae)

The diamondback moth (*Plutella xylostella* [L.]; Lepidoptera, Plutellidae)

Flea beetle (*Phyllotreta* spp.; Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae)

**2.** Field crop pests

Beet moth (*Scrobipalpa ocellatella* Boyd; Lepidoptera, Gelechiidae)

The turnip moth (*Agrotis segetum* [Denis & Schiffermüller]; Lepidoptera, Noctuidae)

**2.** Fruit tree and grapevine pests

The Plum Fruit Moth (*Grapholita funebrana* [Treitschke]; Lepidoptera, Tortricidae)

The Codling moth (*Cydia pomonella* [L.]); Lepidoptera, Tortricidae)

The Red-belted Clearwing (*Synanthedon myopaeformis* [Borkhausen]; Lepidoptera, Sesiidae)

The Goat Moth (*Cossus cossus* [L.]; Lepidoptera, Cossidae)

The European grape berry moth (*Clysia ambiguella* [Hübner]; Lepidoptera, Tortricidae)

The European Grapevine Moth (*Lobesia botrana* [Denis & Schiffermüller]; Lepidoptera, Tortricidae)

tember) till the end of July. In the lower part (under this corn open air storage) corn that was ground into flour was kept. In Obrije, an organic farm was monitored using four traps, three in the storage room and one in the mill. In Jable, the traps were placed in the Agricultural Centre, with one trap in the grain storage, a second one in the mill, and two outside the building (in front of the storage). At none of these locations were treat‐ ments against stored pests performed. Following the manufacturer's instructions, the pheromone lures were changed monthly. They were checked in 7 day intervals (Želimlje) or 14 day intervals (Obrije and Jable). The trapped males were stored in the lab at room temperature until identification. The determination was carried out using a Olympus SZ30 (manufacturer: Olympus Europa Gmbh, Hamburg, Germany) stereomicroscope (magnification about 10 times). The number of the trapped moths/day was calculated as

Research on Seasonal Dynamics of 14 Different Insects Pests in Slovenia Using Pheromone Traps

Figure 1. Number of *Plodia interpunctella* males caught by pheromone traps in Želimlje (1), Obrije (2) and Jable (3) in 2004 (a) and 2005 (b).

**Figure 2.** Number of *Plodia interpunctella* males caught by pheromone traps in Želimlje (1), Obrije (2) and Jable (3) in

**Time interval**

0 2 4 13,0 13,2 13,4 13,6 13,8 14,0

**3.2. Mediterranean Flour Moth (***Ephestia kuehniella* **[Zeller]; Lepidoptera, Pyralidae)** 

*E. kuehniella* is found worlwide but not abundant in the tropic region. The complete life-cycle of this species takes about 50 days. Mediterranean Flour Moth larvae mainly feed on wheat flour but are recorded from a wide range of commodities and from dead

activity of Indianmeal moth outside wheat flour meal compared to inside of them.

insects (Cox and Bell, 1991).

02.05.-09.05. 09.05.-16.05. 16.05.-23.05. 23.05.-30.05. 30.05.-06.06. 06.06.-13.06. 13.06.-20.06. 20.06.-27.06. 27.06.-04.07.

23.04.-05.05.

3a)

18.05.-03.06.

0 2 4 13,0 13,2 13,4 13,6 13,8 14,0

2004 (a) and 2005 (b).

03.06.-23.06.

23.06.-15.07.

15.07.- 28.07.

28.07.-11.08.

11.08.-24.08.

24.08.-08.09.

08.09.-22.09.

22.09.-06.10.

06.10.-19.10.

19.10.-04.11.

04.11.-15.11.

**No. males/trap/day**

05.05.-19.05.

19.05.-02.06.

02.06.-16.06.

16.06.-30.06.

30.06.-14.07.

14.07.-28.07.

28.07.-11.08.

11.08.-25.08.

25.08.-09.09.

09.09.-22.09.

22.09.-06.10.

06.10.-19.10.

19.10.-04.11.

04.11.-15.11.

0 1 12,0 12,5 13,0 13,5 14,0

04.07.-11.07.

11.07.-17.07.

17.07.-22.07.

22.07.-01.08.

01.08.-08.08.

08.08.-17.08.

17.08.-22.08.

2a) 2b)

1a) 1b)

22.08.-01.09.

01.09.-06.09.

06.09.-12.09.

12.09.-19.09.

19.09.-27.09.

27.09.-05.10.

05.10.-17.10.

17.10.-01.11.

28.03.-10.04. 10.04.-25.04.

23.04.-05.05.

3b)

05.05.-19.05.

19.05.-02.06.

02.06.-16.06.

16.06.-30.06.

30.06.-14.07.

14.07.-28.07.

28.07.-11.08.

11.08.-25.08.

25.08.-09.09.

09.09.-22.09.

22.09.-06.10.

06.10.-19.10.

19.10.-04.11.

04.11.-15.11.

0 1 12,0 12,5 13,0 13,5 14,0

25.04.-08.05.

08.05.-22.05.

22.05.-01.06.

01.06.-05.06.

05.06.-11.06.

11.06.-26.06.

26.06.-03.07.

03.07.-10.07.

10.07.-16.07.

16.07.-24.07.

24.07.-01.08.

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151

01.08.-14.08.

14.08.-22.08.

22.08.-04.09.

04.09.-10.10.

The males of Indianmeal moth were most numerous in Obrije during the three years of the study. The results suggest two peaks of flight activity, perhaps correlated with generations, of this moth, with the first being rather more numerous (figure 2). The first peak occurred during the second half of July (7-9 males/trap/day). In all three years, the second peak was in the middle of September, with captures of 2 males/trap/day. In Jable, the pest also showed two capture peaks as in Obrije, but captures were less numerous. This can be explained by the fact that two traps were set outside the storage, were only single specimens were captured. The first peak in captures at this location was during the second half of July, and captures were five times more numerous in 2004 (4 males/trap/day) compared to the next year. The second peak in captures was less numerous and appeared at the end of August and in September. In Želimlje captures of Indianmeal moth were the least numerous, probably because monitoring was in a nonprotected open air storage, where corncobs were stored. There was never more than 1 male/trap/day caught at this location, and adults were active from the beginning of June till the end of September (both years) (Trdan et al., 2010). Part of this research was published by Selišnik in 2007. These results are opposite to reports of Campbell and Arbogast (2004), who found the greater

20.04.-04.05.

04.05.-18.05.

18.05.-01.06.

01.06.-15.06.

15.06.-29.06.

29.06.-14.07.

14.07.-27.07.

27.07.-10.08.

10.08.-24.08.

24.08.-07.09.

07.09.-21.09.

21.09.-07.10.

07.10.-19.10.

19.10.-02.11.

02.11.-16.11.

16.11.-07.12.

the intervals were not the same for all the locations (Trdan et al., 2010).
