Anisandrus maiche Stark (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), an exotic ambrosia beetle native to Asia, has been spreading throughout the eastern United States since 2005. In the current invaded range, its preferred host plants are not well known, however, A. maiche has been found establishing galleries in plantation grown black walnut (Juglans nigra) and nearby forested land in northwestern Indiana. It is difficult to predict the impact A. maiche could have on North American forests and plantations.
In this study, we conducted field-based trapping experiments in northwestern Indiana to evaluate the extent to which conophthorin and verbenone attract or repel A. maiche alone, and when paired with ethanol. Traps were deployed at varying heights to determine the vertical distribution of A. maiche in mature black walnut stands. In addition, bottle traps with varying release rates of ethanol were deployed to determine if release rate influences colonization behavior. Our results indicate A. maiche capture was highest in ethanol-baited traps both 1- meter and 3- meters off the ground. A. maiche appears to be influenced by higher release rates of ethanol. Furthermore, conophthorin and verbenone repelled A. maiche in our study, suggesting that semiochemicals may hold promise for manipulating the behavior of this species using a push-pull strategy to protect high-value plantings of black walnut.
.jpg "Kelsey Tobin photo")