Effects of the synthetically produced anhydroserricornin and serricornin formulation on Lasioderma serricorne mating success

Each year, the cigarette beetle, Lasioderma serricorne (Coleptera: Anobiidae) cause significant damage to multi-billion dollar food and feed industries nationwide.  A non-chemical alternative in managing L. serricorne is the application of mating disruption, in which an unnaturally high level of synthetic sex pheromone is released in an area that results in males failing to locate females with an ensuing population crash.  Using synthetic anhydroserricornin and serricornin, the sex pheromone of L. serricorne, mating disruption trials were conducted in selected food and feed processing facilities in South Carolina.  Mills subjected to mating disruption trials were monitored using oviposition cups and pheromone traps lured with monitoring pheromone.  Immediately after deployment of mating disruption dispensers, population levels indicated a “significant trap shut down” effect in treated facilities.  A significant reduction was observed in number of adults beetles caught in the traps eight weeks before and after treatment.  Adults emerged from oviposition cup also decreased soon after mating disruption treatment.  Preliminary field studies suggest that release of the synthetic sex pheromone of L. serricorne can significantly inhibit proper orientation of male cigarette beetles to females and results in reduced reproduction.