Structure-activity relationship of synthetic pheromone components in sex communication of click beetles (Coleoptera,...

It has been shown earlier that various geranyl and (E,E)-farnesyl esters are major components of natural sex pheromones of click beetles,Agriotes. In addition, some isomeric terpene esters have an inhibiting or synergistic influence upon the sex communication of some species ofAgriotes. In this paper the influence of synthetic terpene esters in pheromone compositions on the sex communication of differentAgriotes species occurring in different climatic zones has been studied. The relationship between the biological activity of sex attractants and their chemical structure has been established.