European Corn Borer and Redbanded Leafroller: Disruption of Reproduction Behavior

When microencapsulated ( E )-11-tetradecenyl acetate ( E -11-tda) or 11-tetradecynyl acetate (11-tdya) were sprayed in the field at various rates, the rate of capture of male European com borers, Ostrinia nubilalis (Hubner), and redbanded leafrollers, Argyrotaenia velutinana (Walker), in pheromone traps was suppressed for 3 wk compared with the rate of capture in untreated plots. An application of E -11-tda disrupted sex attraction of both moth species as much as 10 m from the site of application. The best strategy to achieve mating control over a pest-insect population may involve use of compounds that disrupt distance communications in combination with other compounds that would disrupt short-range pheromonal communications.