Aggregation and Dispersal Behavior of Marked and Released European Corn Borer (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) Adults

Abstract To observe the aggregation and dispersal behavior of adult European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis (Hubner), males in search of mates, two populations were marked, each with a different dye. One population was continuously reared in the laboratory (>5 yr) and the other was collected annually from the field. From 1986 to 1988, marked adults were released in two release sets per year, with three to five releases per release set, coinciding with the spring and summer flights of European corn borer in central Iowa. Traps for recapture contained lures baited with 40 μg of synthetic 97:3 Z:E-11-tetradecenyl acetate. Traplines extended from 200 m to 48 km. Each trap was assigned a compass direction. Males from the laboratory-reared population dispersed similarly to males just 1 generation from the wild. European corn borer males and females dispersed 23–49 km and some were recovered 14 km from the release site within 100 min after release. Sampling of aggregation sites demonstrated that on the nights of...