In 10 40 x 40 m control plots with a single, pheromone-baited lodgepole pine at the plot centre, 26.6% of 432 trees were mass-attacked by the mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae. In contrast, only 2.1% of 523 available trees were attacked in 10 experimental plots with a pheromone-baited tree surrounded by 16 stations on a 10 m grid at which verbenone released at a high dose plus a 7-component nonhost angiosperm bark volatile blend were deployed. Treatments with high dose verbenone alone, or low-dose verbenone with or without nonhost volatiles were less effective in deterring attack. This tactic is expensive, but could be used in the short-term protection of small stands of high economic, ecological or social value.
Species 1: Coleoptera Scolytidae Dendroctonus ponderosae (mountain pine beetle)
Species 2: Coniferales Pinaceae Pinus contorta var. latifolia (lodgepole pine)
Keywords: forest entomology, chemical ecology
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