Assessment of the Attraction Range of Sex Pheromone Traps to Agriotes (Coleoptera, Elateridae) Male Click Beetles in South-Eastern Europe

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Click beetles are the adults of wireworms, soil-dwelling larvae that damage multiple arable crops. The attraction range of YATLORf pheromone traps to click beetles of four species of Agriotes wireworms was studied to provide additional information about the implementation of integrated pest management against these harmful pests in Europe. This should allow a significant reduction in insecticide use. Male click beetles were marked and released at different distances from a pheromone trap. Recapture rate, maximum sampling ranges, and effective sampling areas were calculated. The recapture rate was significantly affected by distance, species, and wind direction and decreased as distance increased. The majority of beetles were caught from short distances (up to 10 m) within the first five days. The estimated attraction range was low for all the considered Agriotes species, suggesting that pheromone traps were unsuitable for use as mass trapping instruments to disrupt mating. However, after results and previous research outputs were evaluated, it seems possible to use the traps not only as monitoring tools, but also as attract-and-kill strategies for most beetle populations. ABSTRACT: The attraction range of YATLORf pheromone traps to adults of four species of Agriotes (A. brevis, A. sordidus, A. litigiosus, and A. ustulatus) was studied to provide additional information about the most harmful Agriotes species in Europe. Male click beetles were marked and released at different distances from a pheromone trap. The recapture rate was calculated and analyzed using analysis of variance. The recapture rate was significantly affected by distance, species, and wind direction. The recapture rate decreased as distance increased. The majority of beetles were caught from short distances (up to 10 m) within the first five days. A. brevis, a mainly crawling species, showed the lowest recapture rate. The wind direction affected the recovery rate, with a significantly lower number of beetles moving downwind from the release points. Maximum sampling ranges and effective sampling areas were calculated. The obtained estimations were low (53 to 86 m and 509 to 2602 m(2), respectively) for all the considered Agriotes species, suggesting that they were unsuitable for use as mass trapping instruments to disrupt mating. However, it seems possible to use the traps not only as monitoring tools, but also as attract-and-kill strategies for most beetle populations.