Gallery initiation byTomicus piniperda (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) on scots pine trees baited with host volatiles

In a trapping experiment, wood chips from freshly cut Scots pine trees attracted flying adults of the bark beetleTomicus piniperda (L.) Healthy Scots pine trees, which usually are not attacked byT. piniperda, were baited with chips from freshly cut trees. In other experiments trees were baited with a mixture of (–)--pinene, (+)-3-carene, and terpinolene; the individual monoterpenes; or with ethanol alone. All baited treatments were attacked byT. piniperda. Most of the attacks resulted in short egg galleries and in larval galleries which were only a few millimeters in length. In trees from which a new generation of beetles emerged, net reproduction was well below 1.0. Unbaited control trees remained unattacked or received a few isolated attacks.     

Electroantennograms by mountain pine beetles,Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins,exposed to selected chiral semiochemicals

Electroantennograms (EAGs) were recorded fromD. ponderosae to the enantiomers of the terpenoid bark-beetle pheromonestrans-verbenol,cis-verbenol, verbenone, and the bicyclic ketals frontalin,exo-brevicomin, andendo-brevicomin. Male and female responses to enantiomers of the terpenoids differed significantly only at the two highest concentrations. No sex differences were seen in response to the bicyclic ketals. Significantly different responses to the enantiomers of all the chemicals, except frontalin, were noted over at least part of the dosage-response ranges tested. The negative antipode for all of the terpenoids elicited higher responses, while for the bicyclic ketals, the positive antipode effected the largest responses except for the two highest concentrations ofexo-brevicomin.     

Electroantennogram responses by mountain pine beetles,Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins,exposed to selected semiochemicals

Electroantennograms (EAGs) were obtained forD. ponderosae to the bark beetle pheromonestrans-verbenol,cis-verbenol,exo-brevicomin,endo-brevicomin, frontalin, verbenone; to the kairomones, -pinene, -pinene, camphene, -3-carene, limonene, myrcene; to a blend (111) oftrans-verbenol,exo-brevicomin, and myrcene; and to diacetone-alcohol. Male and female responses, in general, did not differ significantly over the whole EAG dose-response curves but differed at a few concentrations on many of the curves. There were more differences noted for pheromones than kairomones. The blend yielded among the largest EAGs in both sexes and appeared to show synergism. Responses of females were lower than those for males in most instances. Significant differences in responses by the two sexes were much fewer for the kairomones than the pheromones. EAG recovery rates tested at only one concentration showed significant differences between males and females for three pheromones,trans-verbenol,cis-verbenol, and verbenone, and two kairomones, camphene and -3-carene. Thresholds were quite low for most of the odorants exceptcis-verbenol, camphene, verbenone, and diacetone-alcohol in females, andcis-verbenol, verbenone, -pinene, and diacetone-alcohol in males. The results, using at least one EAG parameter, support behavioral and field studies involvingexo-brevicomin,trans-verbenol, frontalin, and the blend.     

Monoterpene metabolism in female mountain pine beetles,Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins,attacking ponderosa pine

Abdominal volatiles of female mountain pine beetles,Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins, fed in ponderosa pine,Pinus ponderosa Dougl. ex Laws, and in lodgepole pine,P. contorta var.latifolia Engelmann, were analyzed by gas chromatography and coupled gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and were found to comprise host oleoresin components and beetle-produced alliylic alcohols, aldehydes, and ketones derived from host monoterpenes. Neitherexo- andendo-brevicomin nor frontalin were detected. Three metabolic pathways are proposed to account for the distribution of beetle-produced monoterpene alcohols. The first pathway involves hydroxylation of monoterpene substrates on allylic methyl groups which areE to a methylene or vinyl group. This oxidation pathway is indiscriminate with respect to substrate and probably functions to detoxify monoterpenes. A second pathway, which hydroxylates theendo-cyclic methyleneE to a vinyl methyl group of bicyclic monoterpenes to give almost exclusively thetrans alcohol, is hypothesized to be involved in pheromone production. A third detoxification pathway involves anti-Markovnikov addition of water to theexo-cyclic double bond of -phellandrene to give predominantlytrans-2-p-menthen-7-ol.Coleoptera: Scolytidae.Research supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada: Operating Grant A3881 and A3706; Strategic Grant G1039; and Science Council of British Columbia Grant 33 (RC-4).     

Photoisomerization of antiaggregation pheromone verbenone: Biological and practical implications with respect to the mountain pine beetle,Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins (Coleoptera: Scolytidae)

Release of the antiaggregation pheromone, verbenone, at 3.8 mg/ day from a concentrated source within a multiple-funnel trap completely inhibited response by the mountain pine beetle (MPB),Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins, to attractive semiochemical lures. When aerial applications were simulated and verbenone was released at the same rate from beads lying in a 2×2-m area on the forest floor 15–35 cm below a trap, the response of the MPB was inhibited by only 50%. This reduced inhibition may be explained in part by the photoisomerism of verbenone. When exposed to full sunlight on two occasions, the times required for 50% of verbenone vapors to be converted to chrysanthenone were 75 and 100 min, respectively. Trap and tree-baiting experiments indicated no biological activity of chrysanthenone. Rapid photoisomerization could reduce the concentration of verbenone below biologically active levels and would allow the MPB to colonize trees close to already occupied hosts, contributing to the characteristic clumped distribution of MPB attack. The rate of verbenone photoisomerization may vary according to geographic location, stand elevation and density, and should be considered before verbenone is applied to control the MPB and other bark beetles.     

Interspecific effects of pheromones on the attraction of the bark beetles,Dendroctonus brevicomis andIps paraconfusus in the laboratory

Dendroctonus brevicomis was attracted to a mixture of theIps paraconfusus pheromones, ipsenol,cis-verbenol, and ipsdienol at 10^–9 g each/l but was not attracted to these pheromones at higher and lower release rates.I. paraconfusus was not attracted to theD. brevicomis pheromonesexo-brevicomin, frontalin, and myrcene at any release rate tested. Increased release rates of a mixture of the three pheromones ofI. paraconfusus inhibited the attraction ofD. brevicomis to its synthetic pheromones. A mixture of ipsenol + ipsdienol orcis-verbenol alone failed to cause inhibition indicating that at least two of theI. paraconfusus pheromones are required to inhibit the response ofD. brevicomis. The pheromones ofD. brevicomis did not inhibit the attraction ofI. paraconfusus to its pheromones; however, verbenone was a potent inhibitor.Coleoptera: Scolytidae. This paper is based in part upon a dissertation submitted by J.A.B. to the University of California, Berkeley, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Ph.D. degree in entomology, June 1978. These studies were supported by the Rockefeller Foundation; USDA Forest Service; Regional research project W-1 10, SEA/ USDA; and the National Science Foundation and Environmental Protection Agency through a grant (NSF GB-34719/BMS 75-04223) to the University of California. The findings, opinions, and recommendations are not necessarily those of the University of California or the funding agencies.     

Role of chirality in olfactory-directed behavior: Aggregation of pine engraver beetles in the genusIps (Coleoptera: Scolytidae)

There has been a renaissance of interest in the significance of enantiomeric composition in biological systems. Three chiral monoterpene alcohol aggregation pheromone components (ipsenol, ipsdienol, andcis-verbenol) commonly isolated from engraver beetles (Ips spp.) provide a paradigm for this theme as it relates to olfactory-guided insect behavior. The literature pertaining to this system is reviewed and the effects of the enantiomeric composition of these semiochemicals on theIps spp. community is explored on two trophic levels. Hypotheses generated from the well-studied aggregation pheromone production and response patterns forI. paraconfusus Lanier andI. pini (Say) are generalized to the North American species in the genus. Despite the progress withI. paraconfusus andI. pini, substantial deficiencies exist in our understanding of the role of enantiomeric composition in pheromonal/allomonal effects in different subgeneric groups, in the regulation and mechanisms of stereoselective biosynthesis of the monoterpene alcohols, and in the benefits derived by individual insects that produce relatively large proportions of inactive or interruptive enantiomers with attractive enantiomers.     

Quantitative variation of pheromone components in the spruce bark beetleIps typographus from different attack phases

Ips typographus beetles were collected in the field, separated into eight attack phases (from beetles walking on the trunk of a tree under attack to those excavating gallery systems with a mother gallery longer than 4 cm), and immediately frozen in liquid nitrogen. 2-Methyl-3-buten-2-ol,cis- andtrans-verbenol, verbenone, myrtenol, trans-myrtanol, ipsenol, ipsdienol, and 2-phenylethanol were quantified from excised hindguts against an internal standard, heptyl acetate, in the extraction solvent. Methylbutenol, the pinene alcohols, and 2-phenylethanol showed the same pattern of variation between attack phases in males, with the largest amounts present before accepting females and then a fast decline. Ipsenol and ipsdienol were not detected in males before the females were accepted, and the amounts increased when the females start their egg laying. Verbenone occurred only in trace amounts. The beetles were sampled from five Norway spruce trees (Picea abies) of differing resin flow. The correlations between the nine pheromone components and five major host monoterpenes in the gut showed that the variation in the amount of methyl-butenol, ipsenol, and ipsdienol could not be explained by the variation in the amounts of host monoterpenes. In contrast over 80% of the quantitative variation ofcis-verbenol,trans-verbenol, and myrtenol was explained by the amount of -pinene. The nine pheromone components from 36 individual males were also quantified. Both methylbutenol andcis-verbenol showed a large variation in both amounts and proportions. Females containedtrans-verbenol and traces of most other components found in males. When accepted by the male, they also contained a female-specific compound, -isophorone. Behavioral and biosynthetic implications of the results are discussed.Coleoptera: Scolytidae.This study was made within the Swedish project Odour Signals for Control of Pest Insects.     

Field response of spruce bark beetle,Ips typographus,to aggregation pheromone candidates

Six compounds previously identified from hindguts of unmated maleIps typographus (L.) during host colonization: 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol (MB),cis-verbenol (cV),trans-verbenol (tV), myrtenol (Mt),trans-myrtanol (tM), and 2-phenylethanol (PE), were tested for their attractivity in the field with a subtractive method. The amounts of MB and cV released from a pipe trap were similar to those given off from the commercial bait Ipslure as well as that from a Norway spruce tree,Picea abies (L.) Karst., under mass attack. The blend of the compounds became nonattractive when either MB or cV was subtracted, while subtraction of any of the other four compounds had no effect. Addition of ipsdienol (Id) to the blend did not significantly increase the attraction. In a second comparative test, the addition of three compounds as a group (tV + Mt + PE) to MB + cV again had no effect on the attraction, but the addition of Id increased the catch somewhat. Addition of host logs to a bait releasing MB + cV at a rate lower than in previous experiments did not influence the attraction to pipe traps. Sticky traps containing natural pheromone sources (50 males in a log), which released 1–5 mg/day of MB as determined by aerations with deuterated MB as internal standard, were less attractive than a synthetic source releasing similar amounts of MB.Coleoptera: Scolytidae.This study was made within the Swedish project Odour Signals for Control of Pest Insects.     

Attraction of bark beetles,Tomicus piniperda,Hylurgops palliatus,andTrypodendron domesticum and other insects to short-chain alcohols and monoterpenes

Several Scandinavian forest insects,Hylurgops palliatus, Tomicus piniperda, andTrypodendron domesticum (Coleoptera: Scolytidae),Rhizophagus ferrugineus (Coleoptera: Rhizophagidae) andPollenia spp. (Diptera: Calliphoridae) were attracted to window traps baited with ethanol and placed on Scots pine trees (Pinus sylvestris) in May–June, 1986. Release of ethanol at increasing relative rates of 0, 0.01, 0.1 and 1.0 (800 mg/day) from the window traps on trees in 1987 causedH. palliatus, T. domesticum, andR. ferrugineus to be increasingly attracted, whileT. piniperda was equally attracted at both 0.1 and 1.0 rates. The attraction ofT. piniperda to ethanol was weak compared to attraction to a monoterpene mix, (±)--pinene, (+)-3-carene, terpinolene. The terpene mix plus ethanol was significantly more attractive toH. palliatus than ethanol alone, but terpenes significantly reduced the attraction ofT. domesticum to ethanol. Baiting of pipe traps with a series of short-chain alcohols (methanol to hexanol) each alone showed that ethanol was greatly preferred byH. palliatus, T. domesticum, andR. ferrugineus over alcohols of one more or one less carbon, while longer-chain alcohols were not attractive. However,Glischrochilus hortensis (Col.: Nitidulidae) was attracted only to propanol. A series of 10-fold increasing release rates of ethanol (0.0001-1.0, where 1.0=800 mg/day) with either a low or high release of the terpene mix had various effects on the sexes during their attraction to pipe traps and subsequent entering of holes. Release of (–)-verbenone at 0.25 mg/day had no significant effect onH. palliatus orR. ferrugineus attraction to ethanol, but the response ofT. domesticum to ethanol was reduced. Several theories on olfactory mechanisms of host selection byT. piniperda are integrated and placed in ecological perspective.     

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.     

Components of moribund American elm trees as attractants to elm bark beetles,Hylurgopinus rufipes andScolytus multistriatus

Hylurgopinus rufipes male and female beetles were attracted to American elms infected with Dutch elm disease, and to American elms killed by injection of cacodylic acid.H. rufipes was also attracted to solvent extracts of elm, or to Porapak Q-trapped volatiles from elm. The major components of attractive fractions of Porapak Q-trapped volatiles were isolated, identified, and tested in field bioassays. Several artificially compounded mixtures of sesquiterpenes were attractive toH. rufipes, although no bait tested was as attractive as diseased tree controls. Laboratory bioassays withH. rufipes were marginally successful. In laboratory bioassays, nine of 14 sequiterpenes identified from active fractions of Porapak extracts elicited significant response fromScolytus multistriatus male and female beetles: - and -cadinene, -cubebene, -muurolene, and -elemene were most active. However, in field tests, none of the sesquiterpenes alone or in combination significantly attractedS. multistriatus, nor did they significantly enhance the attraction ofS. multistriatus to female-produced pheromone components (4-methyl-3-heptanol [H] and -multistriatin [M]). In other field tests, -cubebene (C) significantly enhanced response ofS. multistriatus to H plus M, but foliage, logs, or chips of healthy elm did not enhance trap catch to HMC.Coleoptera: Scolytidae.     

Field responses of the western pine beetle1 and one of its predators to host- and beetle-produced compounds

The responses of the western pine beetle (Dendroctonus brev-icomis LeConte) andTemnochila chlorodia (Mannerheim) to candidate attractants—exo- andendo-brevicomm, frontalin,trans-verbenol, ver-benone, and ponderosa pine turpentine and its major monoterpene components—were quantified by counts of beetles on traps baited with the various attractants, singly and in combinations released simultaneously. Combinations ofexo-brevicomin and frontalin plus a monoterpene or turpentine were the most attractive toD. brevicomis. The responses to these attractant combinations were reduced when verbenone plustrans-verbenol were present. All single compounds and binary mixtures, exceptexo-brevicomin plus frontalin, were much less attractive.exo-Brevicomin was most attractive toT. chlorodia, and this response appeared to decrease when verbenone plustrans-verbenol were present.Coleoptera: Scolytidae.Coleoptera: Trogositidae.This research was supported in part by the Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and in part by grants from the Rockefeller Foundation to the University of California. Commercial enterprises and products are mentioned solely for information, and do not imply endorsement by the sponsoring agencies and organizations.     

Semiochemicals produced by western balsam bark beetle,Dryocoetes confusus Swaine (Coleoptera: Scolytidae)

The most prominent beetle-produced volatiles identified in the abdominal extracts of maleDryocoetes confusus Swaine after they had bored for 24 hr in logs of subalpine fir,Abies lasiocarpa (Hook.) Nutt. were:exo andendo-brevicomin,trans-verbenol, verbenone, myrtenol,trans-pinocarveol,cis- andtrans-p-menthen-7-ol, 3-caren-10-ol, and several monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes. Myrtenol was the only conspicuous compound in extracts from males that had been exposed toA.lasiocarpa resin volatiles for 24 hr. Laboratory bioassays indicated that both (–)- and (+)-exo-brevicomin were attractive to femaleD. confusus, and that the (–) enantiomer did not inhibit response to its antipode. Results from field trapping experiments indicated that bothero-brevicomin and myrtenol are aggregation pheromones forD. confusus.exo-Brevicomin baits were effective in causing attack byD. confusus on baited and surrounding trees, suggesting that this pheromone may have utility in manipulating populations of the beetle.Research supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Operating Grants A3881 and A3706 and Strategic Grant G1039.     

Attraction of pinyon pine bark beetle,Ips hoppingi,to conspecific andI. confusus pheromones (Coleoptera: Scolytidae)

Females of a pinyon pine bark beetle,Ips hoppingi Lanier, were less attracted by the aggregation pheromone produced by conspecific males than by the pheromone produced by the neighboring sibling species,I. confusus (LeConte). Cross-attraction was elicited by males infesting the regional pinyon pine hosts (P. discolor andP. edulis) of eitherIps species in south-eastern Arizona. Pheromonal specificity has not accompanied speciation in this species pair.     

Pheromone Components in the Larch Bark Beetle, Ips cembrae, from China: Quantitative Variation among Attack Phases and Individuals

Ips cembrae adults were collected from larch log piles in northeast China, separated into six attack phases, and immediately frozen in liquid nitrogen. Three previously described aggregation pheromone components [ipsenol, ipsdienol, and 3-methyl-3-buten-1-ol (331-MB)] and six other volatiles of beetle origin (2-phenylethanol, geraniol, ipsenone, ipsdienone, myrtenol and verbenone) were identified and quantified by GC-MS from excised male hindguts. No amitinol, a recently reported aggregation pheromone component, was detected in our samples. The amounts of these volatiles (except the last two) showed a similar pattern of variation between attack phases in males. The largest amounts of most male volatiles were present in phases 1–2, when the nuptial chamber was being constructed or only one female was accepted. The amounts of the volatiles declined sharply in the following phases. The hindgut volatiles, mainly the pheromone components, from 46 individual males in phase 1 were also quantified. Ipsenol, ipsdienol, and 331-MB showed a large variation in both amounts and proportions. The chirality of these two dominant aggregation pheromone components was determined as 100% (–)-enantiomer of ipsenol and 96% (+) enantiomer of ipsdienol. No male aggregation pheromone components were detected from mated females, except three extracts that were probably contaminated by male tissues.     

Attractive and inhibitory pheromones produced in the bark beetle,Dendroctonus brevicomis,during host colonization: Regulation of inter- and intraspecific competition

Quantities of attractive (exo-brevicomin and frontalin) and inhibitory (trans-verbenol, verbenone, and ipsdienol) pheromones were monitored in both sexes ofDendroctonus brevicomis during their colonization of a ponderosa pine. Verbenone was found in males in the greatest amounts at the time of landing, and it declined more rapidly than the other pheromones in either sex. The amounts of frontalin andexo-brevicomin in males and females, respectively, increased after initial boring within the host but began to decline after mating. The quantity oftrans-verbenol in both sexes (females had significantly more) declined more gradually thanexo-brevicomin, frontalin, and verbenone. Ipsdienol was found only in males during the initial stages of attack when encountering the resin. It is suggested that along with a general decline in all pheromonal components, a sufficient change in the ratio of the attractive pheromones to an inhibitory pheromone,trans-verbenol, may play a role in termination of aggregation.trans-Verbenol may also function along with verbenone and ipsdienol in limiting the density of attack and thus intraspecific competition. These inhibitory pheromones also appear to cause several competing species of bark beetle to avoid landing in areas infested withD. brevicomis, even when their own pheromone is present.Coleoptera:Scolytidae. These studies were supported in part by the Rockefeller Foundation, USDA Forest Service, Regional research project W-110, SEA/ USDA, and the National Science Foundation and Environmental Protection Agency through a grant (NSF GB-34719/BMS 75-04223) to the University of California.     

Interspecific inhibition of the response of the bark beetles,Dendroctonus brevicomis andIps paraconfusus,to their pheromones in the field

Ponderosa pine logs infested withIps paraconfusus males inhibited the attraction ofDendroctonus brevicomis in the field to either attractive logs cut from a ponderosa pine tree under attack byD. brevicomis or to their synthetic pheromones,exo-brevicomin, frontalin, and myrcene. Logs cut from trees under attack byD. brevicomis inhibited the response ofI. paraconfusus to logs infested with maleI. paraconfusus.Exo-brevicomin, frontalin, and myrcene did not inhibit their response but verbenone did. Verbenone was found in maleD. brevicomis dissected from attractive logs under attack during the same time the response ofI. paraconfusus was inhibited by these logs.Trans-verbenol andexo-brevicomin were found in femaleD. brevicomis while verbenone,trans-verbenol, and frontalin were found in maleD. brevicomis in relatively large amounts near the beginning of the aggregation phase of host colonization. All of these compounds had decreased at a similar rate 5 days later. This gradual decrease inexo-brevicomin and frontalin probably caused the observed reduction in attraction. The ecological significance of these compounds in relation to termination of the aggregation phase ofD. brevicomis and reduction of interspecific competition is discussed.Coleoptera: Scolytidae. This paper is based in part upon a dissertation submitted by J.A.B. to the University of California, Berkeley, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the PhD in entomology. These studies were supported in part by the Rockefeller Foundation; U.S. Forest Service; Regional research Project W-110, S.E.A./ U.S.D.A.; and the National Science Foundation and Environmental Protection Agency through a grant (NSF GB-34719/BMS 75-04223) to the University of California.     

Attraction to pheromone sources of different quantity,quality, and spacing: Density-regulation mechanisms in bark beetleIps typographus

The density of bark-beetle colonization of a tree could be regulated by a quantitative effect of the pheromone signal from beetles in the tree (cessation of release of attractive pheromone) or by a qualitative effect (production of pheromone components inhibiting attraction). The quantitative hypothesis was tested onIps typographus by varying the release rate of the two known attractive compounds, 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol (MB) and (4S)-cis-verbenol (cV). The highest number of beetles were captured at traps with the highest release rates. The catch was nearly proportional to the release of MB and cV at a distance between traps of 12 m or more. At 6-, 3-, and 1.5-m distances between traps deployed in a triangular arrangement there was still a good discrimination between release rates, but relatively more beetles, especially males, were caught on the blank. The lower release rates caught an equal sex ratio while the highest release rate caught only about 30% males. The qualitative hypothesis was tested by releasing the suspected inhibitors ipsdienol (Id) and ipsenol (Ie), from traps in the same amounts as cV. Only small effects were noted forI. typographus. However, the competitorI. duplicatus was attracted to Id and inhibited by Ie, while the predatorThanasimus formicarius was attracted to both compounds. On the other hand, when the ratio of Id or Ie to cV was 101 or 0.11 rather than 11, they affected the numbers ofI. typographus attracted. A small amount of Id combined with the attractants increased trap catch, while large amounts of Id or Ie decreased attraction, especially when combined. Attack density regulation is modeled as an effect of both quantitative and qualitative mechanisms acting in sequence.Coleoptera: Scolytidae.This study was made within the Swedish project Odour Signals for Control of Pest Insects..     

Field response of Ips paraconfusus,Dendroctonus brevicomis,and their predators to 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol,a novel alcohol emitted by ponderosa pine

Methylbutenol (MBO) is a major component of the aggregation pheromone of the European spruce beetle Ips typographus and also has been found to be emitted in large amounts by several species of pine native to western North America. This study investigates the influence this signal may have on the behavior of North American bark beetles and examines whether MBO functions as a defensive compound for emitting pines. The response of two North American bark beetles (Ips paraconfusus and Dendroctonus brevicomis) and their predaceous beetles (Trogositidae and Cleridae) to MBO, pheromone, and monoterpenes in varying release rates was investigated in the field using Lindgren funnel traps. MBO exhibited no repellent properties when tested alone, nor did MBO appear to have any effect on the aggregation response of these bark beetles and their predators to their pheromones. These results provide no support for a defensive function of MBO.