Development of a New Extended-Release Pheromone Lure for the Boll Weevil

The Southeastern Boll Weevil Eradication Foundation and other programs in post-eradication have reduced trapping costs by extending the trap servicing interval from weekly or biweekly to a three week interval.  This extended interval was made possible by the development of an extended-release lure that contains 25 mg of grandlure and 30 mg of eugenol.  In order to further reduce trapping costs, post-eradication programs are contemplating the adoption of a four-week inspection interval.  However, implementation of a four-week inspection interval will necessitate the use of a longer lasting lure than is currently available.  Although increasing the initial grandlure content of lures would likely increase the longevity of lures, this may not be a cost-effective option.   Results from our prior research suggest lures dosed with 25 mg of grandlure or less could effectively attract weevils to traps for up to four weeks if the lures released pheromone uniformly over the four-week period.  Presented herein is an overview of the performance of two recently developed prototype lures in comparison with the standard extended-release lure under various environmental conditions.