Field trials on attractiveness of the synthetic sex pheromone of the four-spotted bean weevil, Callosobruchus maculatus Fabricius (Coleoptera: Bruchidae)

Quarantine pests of legumes pose a threat to many countries of the world including Russia. Pests that can enter the country as a result of the transportation of regulated articles (by sea, air, road, rail, etc.) pose a particular danger (Shutova, 1970; Dankvert et al., 2009). Monitoring and identification of legume pests is complicated by the fact that small beetles have a hidden mode of life. One of the most dangerous quarantine pest is the fourspotted bean weevil Callosobruchus maculatus Fabricius (Coleoptera: Bruchidae), which is widespread throughout the world and can cause serious economic losses in agriculture of Russia. Research work on the identification, synthesis and laboratory evaluation of the synthetic sex pheromone of Callosobruchus maculatus was carried out at the All-Russia Plant Quarantine Center (Bykovo, Moscow region). Tests have shown that synthesized sex pheromone of C. maculatus has a high attractiveness for males. An effective dose of pheromone that attracts males of the four-spotted bean weevil has been found at the laboratory and is equal to 0.5 μg per dispenser. Thereafter tests have shown that the concentration of pheromone above 2 μg does not cause behavioral response in beetles and doesn’t result in contact with the stimulus. Dispensers with doses of pheromone from 4 to 8 mg have been used with a Delta trap in storage. The use of pheromone traps can help in pest identification, decreasing or complete avoidance of repeated treatments with chemicals at low pest population. The results of this study will be presented and discussed on the basis of laboratory and literature data.