Pheromones as management tools for non-Scolytinae Curculionidae: development and implementation considerations

Abstract

For the large family Curculionidae, the number of species considered pests is expected to increase due to global movement of plant and soil  material, as well as climate change. Pheromones are increasingly popular for use in pest management programmes, either as stand-alone tactics or with other management tactics. Biological differences between Curculionidae species often require species-specific optimization of methodologies to successfully collect, identify and integrate pheromones into management programmes. This review aims to provide an overview of current knowledge on non-Scolytinae Curculionidae pheromones and their use in strategies to manage these insects where they are pests. Throughout, we highlight the importance of understanding the chemical ecology of target pests and related species to direct pheromone sampling and the  development of pheromone-based management tactics.

Keywords: chemical ecology, Integrated Pest Management, pheromone-baited trap, pheromone development, weevil pheromone