An estimate of the effectiveness of pheromone-baited traps for the suppression ofScolytus multistriatus (Coleoptera: Scolytidae)

We attempted to suppress a population ofScolytus multistriatus (Marsham), the principal vector of Dutch elm disease, by trapping flying beetles on sticky traps baited with synthetic pheromone. The estimated catch on 421 traps distributed throughout a 1-km2 plot in Detroit, Michigan, was nearly 1 million beetles. Because an estimated 5 million beetles emerged in the plot during the study period, we conclude that this preliminary trapping study had no appreciable effect on suppressing the population. Studies that employ improved materials and techniques are continuing.