| Abstract: | Sex pheromones may be used for the control of insect pests by causing communication disruption for long enough to decrease mating and therefore diminish subsequent larval infestations. Such an approach presents the problem of maintaining the pheromone concentration at a high enough level in the field for weeks or even months. To overcome this difficulty two systems are at present generally employed; the establishment of a relatively small number of large pheromone sources in suitable dispensers at fixed points in the treatment areas, or using a very large number of small sources by microencapsulating the pheromone which can then be applied directly to the crop by conventional methods. Recent field experiments carried out using both these methods are described, and problems and future prospects discussed. |
