Monitoring Amyelois transitella males and females with phenyl propionate traps in almonds and pistachios

We examined phenyl propionate as an attractantfor trappingnavel orangeworm,Amyelois transitella (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) adults, withtheobjectiveofdeveloping a method oftrapping both sexes more effectively than with almond meal. Two initial experiments maximized the total number ofadults captured usingphenylpropionatereleasedfromglass vialswith cotton wicks. A thirdexperiment compared the numbers of males and females captured using these glass dispensers in either bucketorsticky traps. The glassvial dispensers captured moreadults than 0.1%phenylpropionate in water (as both attractant and killing agent), and far more adults were captured with glass vial phenyl propionate dispensers than with almond meal. On rare occasion, the glass vial dispensers captured as many adults as traps baited with virgin females, but usually phenyl propionate in glass vials captured fewer adults than virgin-baited traps.Glassvial phenylpropionate dispenserswereequallyeffective in sticky traps or bucket traps. The majority of females captured were mated, and the proportion of males captured increased overtime withinflights (generations). We concludethat phenyl propionate released from glass vials captured A. transitella adults more effectively than currently available options, and will be useful in research projects where capturing intact adults and comparing mating statusare important. Developing a cost-effective phenylpropionate-based alternative to the egg traps currentlyused forcommercialmonitoringwillbemoredifficult.