ECONEX LYMANTRIA DISPAR 2 MG 40 DAYS

Recommended Information:

ECONEX CATALOGUE OF PRODUCTS AND SERVICES FOR FOREST PESTS

Sexual pheromone diffuser of the species Lymantria dispar to attract males, with a duration of 40 days in normal field conditions.

Diffuser of natural rubber in capsule-shape. It is packaged individually in an aluminium sachet with labelled instructions. Once taken out of the sachet, the diffuser does not need any activation operation. Simply place it directly in the trap.

The Gypsy moth Lymantria dispar is the larva of a species of nocturnal moth.  It feeds on the leaves of oak or cork oak, and also on the leaves of fruit trees, oak and other trees or shrubs in forests. It can cause serious defoliation.

Their characteristic long hairs come out from protuberances arranged along the body that show two colourings. The blue hairs are at the front of the body and the red hairs on the rest of the body.

MORPHOLOGY AND BIOLOGY

Adult: The female has a wingspan of 45 to 65 mm and the body length is 25 to 28 mm long.  The wings are whitish with some black stains which make a V-shape, is very characteristic in the forewings.  The body is very robust, hairy and slightly yellow.  The abdomen is very bulky and heavy, a characteristic that makes them unable to fly.  Fine pectinate antennae.

The male is quite a lot smaller, having a wingspan of 35 to 40 mm and body length 18 to 20 mm.  The wings have a background colour of ochre with stains in dark zig-zags, blackish-brown, abundant, above all in the forewings.  The abdomen is much thinner than the females', almost conical, covered in ochre coloured hairs.  They fly well.  Pectinate antennae.

Egg laying: In the shape of yellow silken cocoons that are 3 or 4 cm long and 1.5 to 2 cm wide.  They are made up of tiny eggs and the hairiness of the female abdomen, joined together with an agglutinative that secretes this.  The number of eggs that each female lays ranges between 250 and 500.

Caterpillar: New-born caterpillars measure between 3 and 3.5 mm.  They are very hairy and their general colouring is blackish.  During their development they change colour, after moulting, but the greyish colour always predominates.

In the thoracic and first abdominal segments, the caterpillar shows dark blue tubercles, the other remaining abdominal segments are red, all with very obvious hairiness.  During development the caterpillars will moult four or five times.

The females come from the caterpillars that have moulted five times, or rather, in six stages. The males moult four times, or to be more exact, in five stages.  The size of the grown caterpillars ranges from 45 to 70 mm in length.

Chrysalis: A dark brown colour, with no silky cocoon. The apical end is provided with silky hairs, which are used to grip the bark. The chrysalis that result in female imagoes can be perfectly differentiated from the males, as they are a lot bigger and have an almost cylindrical abdomen. Meanwhile, the abdomens of the males is almost conical.

DETECTION AND MONITORING

1 trap per 9 hectares is to be used, placed in holm oaks.  A support can also be used.

EXHAUSTIVE MONITORING

The males of this species are captured with the aim of reducing mating, so that the non-copulated females will have unviable eggs.  3 traps per hectare are recommended.

NECESSARY MATERIAL

An ECONEX TRAMPA G, ECONEX POLILLERO or ECONEX GREEN POLILLERO trap.

A pheromone diffuser ECONEX LYMANTRIA (PORTHETRIA) DISPAR.

PERIOD OF USE

In spring 1 trap per 9 hectares can be placed for pest detection and observation of its populations.

Through thresholds of tolerance in each area, the moment to adopt control measures is later defined.

DAMAGES

With important defoliations, the trees growth decreases.  But, what is most important is the loss of the acorns annual production in the grasslands and open woodlands with livestock exploitation.

STORAGE OF THE DIFFUSERS

The diffusers must be kept in their original container and in a refrigerator at 4^oC, or in the freezer at -18^oC, in which case they will remain valid for 2 and 4 years respectively.