Host-Plant Characteristics and Environmental Factors Influencing Flight Activity of Angoumois Grain Moth (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) in the Field

Abstract

Field studies were conducted to examine the effect of time of day and several phenological characteristics of maize plants on flight activity of Sitotroga cerealella (Olivier), a common pre- and postharvest pest of stored maize, Zea mays L., in the southeastern United States and many subtropical and temperate areas. A diurnal trapping study conducted in central Kentucky during late summer/early autumn revealed that flight activity of males is concentrated almost exclusively at dusk (between 1700 and 2200 hours), but the window of flight activity can be shifted by meteorological conditions. Pheromone traps placed in plots of maize varying with respect to planting date and hybrid and in plots of sunflower, Helianthus annuus L., revealed that mere presence of tall vegetation increases local activity of male S. cerealella, and that maize-specific characteristics, probably volatile chemicals, further localize flight activity. Implications of this knowledge of S. cerealella behavior for management of the pest are discussed.