Isolation, identification, synthesis, and bioassay of the pheromone of the comstock mealybug and some analogs

The sex pheromone of the Comstock mealybug,Pseudococcus comstocki (Kuwana) was isolated from volatiles trapped from air passing over virgin female insects. Combined gas chromatography, mass and infrared spectroscopy, and microreactions indicated that the structure was 2,6-dimethyl-1,5-heptadien-3-ol acetate. This was confirmed by synthesis; several analogs were also prepared. The natural and synthetic pheromone caused similar trap capture of male insects. Synthetic analogs were significantly less attractive in field tests and the addition of minor amounts of the corresponding alcohol to the pheromone appeared to enhance trap capture, but the results were not statistically conclusive.