Bemisia tabaci is a polyphagous pest that transmits various viruses, including tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) while feeding on crops. Prior to identifying attractants of B. tabaci, the pheromone biosynthesis activating neuropeptide (PBAN) sequence was obtained via transcriptome analysis of female adults. After injecting artificially synthesized PBAN into the female adults, the compounds contained in the female adults were extracted using hexane, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was performed. As a result, 22 compounds showed quantitative differences after PBAN injection. Among them, it was confirmed that B. tabaci is attracted to 2-ethylhexanoic acid and phytol. These results suggest that 2-ethylhexanoic acid and phytol can be used as attractants for the control of B. tabaci.

Apolygus spinolae (Meyer-Dür) (Heteroptera: Miridae) is an important pest of fruit and tea trees in Korea and Japan. Analyses of extracts of metathoracic scent glands revealed that those of female bugs contained hexyl butyrate, (E)-2-hexenyl butyrate, and (E)-4-oxo-2-hexenal in a ratio of 20:100:7. The glands of males contained the same three compounds, but the ratio of the components was quite different, with hexyl butyrate being the most abundant. Field trapping tests with various blends of the synthetic compounds dispensed from high-density polyethylene tubes showed that (E)-2-hexenyl butyrate and (E)-4-oxo-2-hexenal were essential for attraction of male A. spinolae, and catches with a wide range of ratios of these two compounds did not differ significantly. However, adding hexyl butyrate at 50% or more of the (E)-2-hexenyl butyrate to the binary blend strongly inhibited attraction of males. Trap catches increased with increasing amounts of a 10:1 blend of (E)-2-hexenyl butyrate and (E)-4-oxo-2-hexenal from 0.011 to 11 mg loaded into the tube. Catches of males in traps baited with lures containing 1.1 mg of the binary blend were not significantly different from catches in traps baited with live virgin females.