Pheromone emission and blend percentages inEoreuma loftini determined by two methods

Calling behavior and pheromone emission by virgin femaleE. loftini moths were investigated in laboratory experiments. Calling peaked during the last three hours of the night. Three-day-old moths called more than older or younger moths and began calling earlier in the night than younger moths. Female emissions were collected in flasks without airflow and cylinders with airflow. Control tests indicated that the pheromone components (Z)-11-hexadecenyl acetate (HDA) and (Z)-13-octadecenylacetate (ODA) were 69 and 54% adsorbed on moths, respectively, and the component (Z)-13-octadecenal (ODL) was 92-99% adsorbed depending on its concentration, when put into flasks with noncalling females for 4 hr. Pheromone exposed to moths for less than 4 hr was adsorbed less. After correction for adsorption, the pheromone blend from females calling in flasks was 9:42:49% of HDA/ODL/ODA with an overall emission rate of 58 ng/female/4 hr. Three-day-old females emitted more pheromone than 0- to 2- or 4- to 5-day-old moths, in flasks. Little or no pheromone put into cylinders either downwind or upwind from a male moth was adsorbed by the moth. The pheromone blends from females calling in cylinders, corrected using downwind and upwind control test results, respectively, were 15:35:50 and 13:40:48% of HDA/ODL/ODA with overall emission rates of 32 and 35 ng/female/night.