Mating disruption Totally Explained

Everything about Mating Disruption totally explained

Mating disruption (MD) is a pest management technique designed to control certain insect infestations. Specifically, mating disruption involves the utilization of synthesized sex pheromones to disrupt the reproductive cycle of insects.

Mechanism

In most insect species, such as those in the order Lepidoptera, females emit a trail of sex pheromone, known as a plume. Males of that species use the plume to locate the emitting female (known as a “calling” female). Mating disruption exploits the male insects' natural response to follow the plume by introducing a synthetic pheromone into the insects’ habitat. The synthetic pheromone is a volatile organic chemical designed to mimic the species-specific sex pheromone produced by the female insect. The general effect of mating disruption is to confuse the male insects by masking the natural pheromone plumes, causing the males to follow “false pheromone trails” at the expense of finding mates, and affecting the males’ ability to respond to “calling" females. Consequently, the male population experiences a reduced probability of successfully locating and mating with females, which leads to the eventual cessation of breeding and collapse of the insect infestation. The California Department of Pesticide Regulation, the California Department of Food and Agriculture, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency consider mating disruption to be among the most environmentally friendly treatments used to eradicate pest infestations. Mating disruption works best if large areas are treated with pheromones. Ten acres is a good minimum size for a successful MD program but larger areas are preferable^[2]

Advantages of Mating Disruption

Pheromone programs are most effective when controlling low to moderate pest population density. MD has also been identified as a pest control method in which the insect doesn't become resistant^[1]. The California Department of Food and Agriculture believes that pheromone based control programs are among the most environmentally friendly treatments ever used to eradicate pest infestations in California. In comparison to conventional pesticide based control methods, which kill insects directly, mating disruption simply confuses male insects from accurately locating a mating partner, leading to the eventual collapse of the mating cycle^[3]. Finally, mating disruption has the benefit of only affecting a limited number of closely related insects while leaving other species unaffected^[3].

Disadvantages of Mating Disruption

No long-term human studies have been conducted to determine the health effects of synthetic pheromones. In fact, the EPA doesn't permit long-term human studies to be conducted with any pesticide^[3]. Instead, reliance on animal testing is used to determine toxicity levels and chronic health effects. Due to the absence of long-term human health studies, many people object to the use of synthetic sex pheromones. In regards to technical disadvantages, certain synthetic pheromones can have high development and production costs, resulting in mating disruption being too costly for controlling certain infestations. Pheromone dispersal techniques usually require specialized application technology and/or equipment, which may lower cost effectiveness of the treatment. Finally, mating disruption, like most pest management strategies can be a useful technique but shouldn't be considered a stand-alone treatment program^[1].

Methods of Dispersal

Microencapsulated pheromones

Microencapsulated pheromones (MECs) are small droplets of pheromone enclosed within polymer capsules. The capsules control the release rate of the pheromone into the surrounding environment. The capsules are small enough to be applied in the same method as spray insecticides. The effective field longevity of the synthesized pheromones ranges from days to weeks depending on climatic conditions, capsule size and chemical properties^[1].

Hand applied dispensers

Hollow tube dispensers: twist-tie type dispensers are filled with the synthetic sex pheromone and are placed throughout the affected area.
Synthetic Pheromone traps: are a type of insect capturing devise fitted with a reservoir that has a permeable membrane allowing the pheromone to 'plume'.
High-emission dispensers: are aerosol puffers capable of emitting bursts of synthetic sex pheromone at a timed interval.

Aerial Dispersal

With the use a helicopter or airplane it's possible to saturate a very large infested area with synthetic sex pheromone. During November 2007, this approach was used in the counties of Santa Cruz and Monterey California to combat the invasive Light Brown Apple Moth.

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