Black Cutworm, Agrotis ipsilon (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)
Pheromone Trapping: a Regional Research Effortl
E. LEVINE,~
S. L. CLEMENT,"
L. V. KASTER,4 A. J. KEASTER,5
SHOWERS,7
AND F. T. TURPINS
The use of pheromone-baited
traps to monitor the
presence and abund.ance of economically important
moth species has Increased since the late ]960s
(Cardc
1976). In some cases, these traps have
supplemented
or replaced the standard black light
(BL) trap, especially when research has demonstrated that they .are a more sensitive monitoring too] for
m,~le moths In early season when feral female populatIOns arc low (e.g., Hendricks et al. 1973, Howell
1974, Roach 1975, Oloumi-Sadeghi
et al. 1975).
The black cutworm (BCW), Agrotis ipsilon (Hufnagel), can be a serious pest of seedling corn in the
U.S: corn belt. Damaging larvae arc thought to
onglnate from eggs oviposited by female moths in
fields in early spring before the crop is planted
(Sherrod et al. 1979, Clement et aI., unpublished
data). Kaster and Showers (1982) hypothesize that
the moths that lay these eggs immigrate to the corn
helt from southern latitudes. Consequently,
earlyseason moth detection is important, especially since
pest outbreaks tend to he very sporadic. Once the
s~~ phero~one
system of this noctuid pest was identified by Hill et al. (1977,1979), we set out to determine if. synthetic-pheromone
(SP)-baited
traps
would
Improve
our
early-season
detection
capabilities over a wide area. Hence, we conducted
f.iel~ studi~s in five major corn-producing
states (illinOIS, IndIana, Iowa, Missouri, and Ohio) to compare the effectiveness of SP-baited traps with that of
~L traps for detecting and monitoring BCW populations.
.
In this paper.
we discuss
the results
Materials and Methods
BL traps and SP traps were stationed at three locations in Wayne County in late March 1978 and
monitored
at 2- to 3-day intervals
until mid~ovember.
At two locations, traps were placed adJacent to corn, wheat, and soybean fields; at the remaining location, traps were placed in a wooded
area surrounded
by cornfields. Locations were at
least 1.6 km apart. At each location, a standard surve~ BL trap (15 W; Ellisco Co.) and a pheromonebaIted Pherocon lC trap were deployed. A distance
of at least 400 m separated each trap. SP traps were
suspended 1.5 m above ground from a 0.3-m plastic
support attached to a telephone pole or a post. A
rubber septum (5 by 7 mm; Arthur Thomas Co.)
was used to deploy J() fLgof (Z)-7-dodecen-l-yl
acetate and 10 fLg of (Z}-9-tetradecen-l-yl
acetate from
each SP trap. Previous studies showed that rubber
septa loaded with these pheromone
components
were effective dispensers (Hill et al. 1979, Clement
et al. 191' I). The sticky trap hottoms were replaced
ev~ry 3 to 6 weeks and ruhber septa every 3 weeks.
ThiS study was repeated in 1979.
Except where noted, trapping details for the other
states were the same as for Ohio.
Iowa
One BL trap and one SP trap were monitored in
each of eight locations in Warren County from late
March to early November
1978. All traps were
placed In grassy areas adjacent to corn or soybean
fIelds. At each location, the BL and SP traps were
placed at least 200 m apart; SP traps were suspended
1 m above the ground from a steel rod. Trap botto~s and rubber septa were replaced every 2 weeks.
ThIS study was repeated in 1979.
of our reg-
Illinois
Traps were stationed at two locations in Champaign County in mid-March
1978 and monitored
until mid-November.
At one location, traps were
placed adjacent to corn and soybean fields; at the
other location, traps were placed in an apple orchard. Trap bottoms were replaced every 2 weeks,
and rubber septa every week.
IAprrov~d
for puhlicatinn
~s Journal article no. 5X-X2 of the Ohio Agric.
Kc:-.. Dc\'. ( tr.. \\.'no:-.t~r. Rt.:l·CI\'cd for puhlication
30 Decemher
I9XI. This re•..ea~c~ wa •• suppo~led
lIl,part hy EPA gram RX05429.
t-:orn~i.:r1>·Ohm AgTl~. Res. Dc\'. elr., Wooster. OH 44091. Present ad·
IIllnllll, Natural HI •..lory Survey. 607 E. Peahody
Dr.. Champaign.
IL
Indiana
~~~2~~.
"",;"
Agrk.
Rcs.
Dcv.
etL.
Wooster.
OH -l..HiYI. Present
Four SP traps and one BL trap were placed in an
orchard in Tippecanoe
County in late March 1978
and monitored until mid-October.
The BL trap was
checked daily, and the SP traps were checked
weekly. Trap bottoms were replaced every 4 weeks,
and rubber septa every 2 weeks.
ad-
lISDA',1II50 San Pahlo Avenue. Alhany. CA 94700.
,Dept. of l:-ntomnlogy.
Itm:a Statc UniversilY. Ames. IA 5001 I.
h()~Pt: of f·.ntnmol(~gy, lJllIvcrsity of Missouri. Columhia.
MO 65211.
oIHl(I)I.1I10I:o.Natural
History Survcy.
fl07 E. Peahody
Dr .. Champaign.
IL
, JARS. lISDA. f\nkyn)'. IA 5IXI}!. an" Dept. of Entomology. Inwa Stale
t.IlIV1..'r:o.lt\'. A IllC:o., IA )DOII.
~()cpt~ of Entomology,
Purdue
University,
W. Lafayette.
W. B.
Ohio
Ional HCW .trapping study, especially as they relate
to the pOSSible role of BCW pheromone
traps in
corn pest management
programs. Based on the results of t~is study, Illinois, Iowa, and Ohio are presently uSing HCW pheromone trap data to initiate a
temperature-based
developmental
model to forecast
potential damage by this pest. Mention is made of
Sl?me unpublished
results and data so that we may
dISCUSSour trapping results as they relate to the most
reeent
information
generated
under
mu]tistate
U.SEPA research project R805429, "Development
of Pest Management
Strategies for Soil Insects on
Corn."
'Forn~I..'rly Ohio
W. G. RUESINK,i'
'
IN 47907.
139
© 1982 Entomological Society of America
0013-8754/82/0201-3904$01.00/0
140
ESA
BULLETIN
Yol. 28, no. 2
Missouri
One BL trap and one SP trap were monitored in
four Missouri counties (CarrolL Callaway. Ralls.
and New Madrid) from late March to late November
1978. Traps in one of the four counties were monitored from 25 to 31 March and from 4 November to
1 December; traps in two counties were monitored
from 1 to ]4 Apri] and from 28 October to 3
November; traps in three counties from 15 Apri] to 5
May and from 2 to 22 September; and traps in all
four counties were monitored from 6 May to 1 September and from 23 September to 27 October. The
traps in New Madrid County were placed in pine
trees in a fence row bordering a cotton field. The
Callaway County traps were in Tucker Prairie, a
natural prairie area. The Ralls County traps were located in a wooded area, and the Carroll County
traps were all in close proximity to cornfields. Traps
were normally checked twice each week. Trap bot-
posed that SP traps are more competitive with
female BCW during the spring flight. because most
females arriving in the localities of these traps at this
time were already mated and thus were less attractive to the males that were caught in SP traps (Swier
et al. 1976).
With the exception of Missouri, fewer males were
caught in SP traps relative to those caught in BL
traps as the flight season progressed (late June, Julian date ca. 175 through late September. Julian date
ca. 265). In Missouri, SP traps generally outperformed BL traps throughout the summer (Fig. 1).
During this period, both unmated and mated
females were captured in BL traps in Iowa and Ohio
(Kaster and Showers 1982, Clement et aI., unpublished data). Kaster and Showers (1982) hypothesize
that the presence of unmated females decreased the
catch of males in the SP traps because the feral, unmated females were successfully competing with the
toms were replaced
SP traps.
ca. every week to 10 days, and
septa every 3 weeks.
Results and Discussion
Figure 1 shows the mean trap catches of male
BCW in SP traps and BL traps by week (7-day
period ending on the date noted on the x-axis) for
each of the five states in 1978. Trap catches from
Ohio and Iowa are also presented for 1979 in Fig. 2.
For Ohio and Iowa, we additionally present weekly
female BL trap catch data. The consistent pattern
revealed by Fig. 1 and 2 is that SP traps were a more
sensitive monitoring tool than BL traps during the
period when it is most important to monitor moth
flight activity; namely, between early April and
early June (Julian dates 90 to 160). Through the first
week in June in each state, males were caught significantly earlier (on average, 3 weeks earlier) and
in significantly greater (P < 0.01) numbers in SP
traps than in BL traps. For example, in Ohio (1978),
the first BCW caught in a SP trap was on 7 April, Julian date 97, whereas the first moth caught in a BL
trap was on 26 April, Julian date 116 (a male; the
first female was caught on 1 May, Julian date 121).
In Iowa (1978), the first BCW caught in a SP trap
was on 2 April, Julian date 92, whereas the first
moth caught in a BL trap was on 24 April, Julian
date 114 (a male; the first female was caught on 5
May, Julian date 125). Our findings confirm those of
Pautler et al. (1979) who found that BCW virgin
female traps caught six times more BCW males than
did BL traps from March through May 1979 in 11]inois, and Willson et al. (1981), who found that
Pherocon lC SP traps caught significantly more
BCW moths (presumably all males) than did BL
traps in New York from mid-May to late July 1978
(only the combined catches of male and female
moths were presented by Willson et al. for the BL
traps). Pautler et al. (1979) also reported catching
their first BCW male in a virgin female trap on 14
March, nearly 2 weeks before catching their first
moth in a BL trap. Kaster and Showers (1982) pro-
Finally. after late September, BCW apparently
enter a period in which they are unresponsive to sexual stimuli. This conclusion was reached after dissections of females caught in Iowa and Ohio BL traps
during 1978 and 1979 revealed that they were young,
unmated individuals (Kaster and Showers 1982, Clement et aI., unpublished data). Moreover, feral
males flying after mid-August in Ohio in 1978 were
not attracted to traps baited with females (ca. 4 days
old) from a laboratory colony (Clement and Levine,
unpublished data). Kaster and Showers (1982) propose that BCW adults are entering a period of reproductive diapause during this time. They speculate that reproductive diapause may precede a
southward, autumnal migration of these moths
(Missouri is a possible exception).
From a pest management standpoint, it is important to know if female moth activity is closely related
to that of males, as measured by SP traps during
early season. Evidence suggesting that SP trap
catches of males bettcr reflect early female egg laying activity than do BL catches of females was provided by a 1978-1979 study in Ohio and Iowa, where
the reproductive condition of females from BL traps
was examined. In this study (Clement et aI., unpublished data), it was found that older mated females
were the dominant forms during the early season.
On the basis of this finding, we concluded that
females had deposited significant numbers of eggs
preceding their capture in BL traps, and therefore
the first capture of a male in a SP trap would probably serve as a useful reference point to denote the
start of egg-laying in the central Corn Belt. A BCW
development model (Troester et al. 1982), initiated
with this information, could then be used to predict
the occurrence of damaging larval instars (3rd-instar
and more mature larvae cause economic damage).
This model will provide corn producers with information on the time (date) when they should actively
scout their fields for this pest. Indeed, Illinois, Iowa,
and Ohio are already using data from SP traps as a
basis for computer prediction models.
June 1982
141
ILLINOIS
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225
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AN
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275
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DATE
of male BCW moths in BL and SP
traps (Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Ohio, and Indiana) and
female BeW moths in BL traps (Iowa and Ohio) by week,
1978, Note that ordinate scale differs for each state.
f
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ESA
142
OHIO
1979
REFERENCES
35
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IBO
JULI
'e.--;w-!"-200
220
260
240
DRTE
RN
fOliA
1979
f
"
I,
"
100
I,
-
i~
i\
i !
BO
I
,
i
"
I
60
...• Bl
o···eSL
l!I---£I Sf
FEMALES
HALES
MALES
,
I
i
l!;
~
,
!.
. " .. or .•.• '" . .J \,,-.fi\.
1001201.0160
r
FEMRLES
Mr:lLES
MRlES
i
/\'I.:i \ .t'~"'\~\,r~t,l
10
! \
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BL
BL
SP
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.
40
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,
.,
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Ji
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.,
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120
---,.
140
160
Vol. 28, no. 2
BULLETIN
I BO
200
JULIRN
DATE
220
240
260
2BO
FIG. 2,-Capture
of male BCW moths in BL and SP
traps and female BCW moths in BL traps by week, Ohio
and Iowa, 1979, Note that ordinate scale differs for each
state.
Acknowledgment
We thank M. Casey, D. Dix, D. McCartney, R.
Schmidt, and D. Woods from Ohio; J. Lenaghan, T.
Lenaghan, P. Mulder, D. Scott, M. Traeger, and M.
Wallace from Iowa; and C. Johnson and J. Shaw
from Illinois for technical assistance. We also wish
to thank S. Lo and L. LeMere of the Illinois Natural
History Survey for their help in preparing the figures.
CITED
Carde, R. T. 1976. Utilization of pheromones in the population management of moth pests. Environ. Health
Perspect. 14: 133-144.
Clement, S. L., A. S. Hill, E. Levine, and W. L. Roelofs.
1981. Trap catches of male Agrotis ipsilon with synthetic sex pheromone emitted from different dispensers.
Environ. Entomo!. 10: 521-523.
Hendricks, D. E., H. M. Graham, R. J. Guerra, and C. T.
Perez. 1973. Comparison of the numbers of tobacco
budworms and bollworms caught in sex pheromone
traps vs. black light traps in lower Rio Grande Valley,
Texas. Ibid. 2: 911-914.
Hill, A. S., W. L. Roelofs, R. W. Rings, and S. R. Swier .
1977. Sex pheromone of the black cutworm, Agrotis ipsilon (Hufnagel). J. N.Y. Entomo!. Soc. 85: 179-180.
Hill, A. S., R. W. Rings, S. R. Swier, and W. L. Roelofs.
1979. Sex pheromone of the black cutworm, Agrotis ipsilon. J. Chern. Ecol. 5: 439-457.
Howell, J. F. 1974. The competitive effect of field populations of codling moth on sex attractant trap efficiency.
Environ. Entomo!. 3: 803-807.
Kaster, L. V., and W. B. Showers. 1982. Evidence, in
Iowa, of spring immigration and autumn diapause of
the adult black cutworm. Ibid. 11: 306--312.
Oloumi-Sadeghi, H., W. B. Showers, and G. L. Reed.
1975. European corn borer lack of synchrony of attraction to sex pheromone and capture in light traps. J.
Econ. Entomo!. 68: 663-<J67.
Pautler, L., W. G. Ruesink, H. E. Hummel, and W. H.
Luckmann. 1979. Monitoring the seasonal appearance
and density of the black cutworm with a virgin female
trap. Ill. Nat. Hist. Surv. BioI. Notes No. ] 11. 7 pp .
Roach, S. H. 1975. Heliothis zca and H. virescells: moth
activity as measured hy blacklight and pheromone
traps. J. Econ. Entomo!. 68: 17-21.
Sherrod, D. W., J. T. Shaw, and W. H. Luckmann.1979.
Concepts on black cutworm field biology in Illinois.
Environ. Entomol. 8: 191-]95.
Swier, S. R., R. W. Rings, and G. J. Musick. 1976. Reproductive behavior of the black cutworm, Agrotis ipsilon.
Ann. Entomo!. Soc. Am. 69: 546--550.
Troester, S. J., W. G. Ruesink, and R. W. Rings. 1982. A
model of black cutworm (Agrotis ipsilon) development: description, uses and implications. Ill. Agric.
Exp. Stn. Bull. No. 774. 33 pp.
Willson, H. R., M. Semel, M. Tebcherany, D. J. Prostak,
and A. S. Hill. 1981. Evaluation of sex attractant and
blacklight traps for monitoring black cutworm and variegated cutworm. J. Econ. Entomol. 74: 517-519.