Effects of verbenone andtrans-verbenol on the response ofDendroctonus brevicomis to natural and synthetic attractant in the field

Verbenone andtrans-verbenol were investigated as candidate interruptants for use as tree protectants. Verbenone andtrans-verbenol, pheromones released byDendroctonus brevicomis during host colonization, reduced the trap catch ofD. brevicomis near sources of the attractant composed ofexo-brevicomm, frontalin, and myrcene. Catch reduction at some trap positions was greater at a high release rate than at a low release rate oftrans-verbenol alone and of the combination of verbenone plustrans-verbenol. Verbenone also reduced catches at traps baited with attractive bolts from trees under attack byD. brevicomis. Attempts to use verbenone to protect living trees fromD. brevicomis attack were inconclusive.Coleoptera: Scolytidae.This research was supported in part by the Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and in part by grants from the National Science Foundation/Environmental Protection Agency (grant NSF-6B-34718/BMS75-04223), and in part by grants from the Rockefeller Foundation to the University of California. Mention of a proprietary or commercial product does not constitute recommendation or endorsement of the product by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and does not imply its approval to the exclusion of other products that also may may be suitable.