@article{schoeppner_vann_ackerman_cheek_huseth_2024, title={Evaluation of transplant drench and foliar insecticide applications for wireworm (Coleoptera: Elateridae) management in sweetpotato}, volume={10}, ISSN={["1938-291X"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toae216}, DOI={10.1093/jee/toae216}, abstractNote={Abstract The revocation of chlorpyrifos tolerances in 2022 left sweetpotato growers without their most important tool to combat a complex of soil-borne root pests that includes wireworms (Coleoptera: Elateridae). Since then, growers have reported increased root damage despite a rapid pivot to pyrethroid-based management systems to replace mechanically incorporated preplant chlorpyrifos broadcast sprays. Our goal was to evaluate the efficacy of alternative insecticide chemistries and application methods to expand the portfolio of management options for wireworms, specifically Conoderus spp. and Melanotus communis (Gyllenhal). We tested (i) insecticidal transplant water drenches and (ii) a foliar spray program targeting adult elaterids. We found that incorporating insecticides into transplant water reduced wireworm damage when compared to untreated transplant water. Our treatments included a recently registered meta-diamide, broflanilide, which represents a promising path to diversify active ingredients and shift away from an overreliance on preplant and post-directed pyrethroid soil sprays. Foliar spray plots had less damage than plots that did not receive foliar sprays. One benefit of adult-focused management is the availability of effective monitoring tools such as sex pheromones and blacklight trapping. Developing a robust adult monitoring program would enable more precise applications of foliar insecticides versus season-long prophylactic soil sprays targeting larvae. Our results demonstrated a significant benefit to both alternative delivery methods. These management alternatives could expand treatment options beyond traditional preplant and post-directed pyrethroid sprays.}, journal={JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY}, author={Schoeppner, Emma and Vann, Matthew and Ackerman, Renee and Cheek, Joseph A. and Huseth, Anders S.}, editor={Beuzelin, JulienEditor}, year={2024}, month={Oct} }
 @article{millar_williams iii_serrano_mcelrath_zou_grommes-yeager_schoeppner_huseth_kuhar_etzler_et al._2024, title={Identification of sex attractants for 6 North American click beetle species in 4 tribes of the Elateridae}, volume={9}, ISSN={["1938-2936"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1093/ee/nvae077}, DOI={10.1093/ee/nvae077}, abstractNote={Abstract We describe experiments that evaluated potential sex pheromone components for 6 North American click beetle species. In field trials in Illinois, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia, male beetles of 6 species were strongly attracted to geranyl butyrate (Agriotes insanus Candèze), 5-methylhexyl (Z)-4-decenoate (Elater abruptus Say), 11-dodecenyl butyrate (Melanotus ignobilis Melsheimer), and limoniic acid (Gambrinus griseus [Palisot de Beauvois], G. rudis [Brown], and G. plebejus [Say]). Collection of E. abruptus in South Carolina represents a new state record. For each species, capture rates varied geographically and temporally, possibly due to differences in local population densities and regional phenology, or the efficiency of different trap designs or trap placement. Structural similarities were observed between the tested attractants and previously identified pheromones of closely related species. For example, males of A. insanus were attracted to geranyl butyrate, analogous to the terpenoid ester pheromones of a number of European congeners. The attractant for E. abruptus, 5-methylhexyl (Z)-4-decenoate, is an analog of the pheromone of its European congener E. ferrugineus L., and the attractant for M. ignobilis, 11-dodecenyl butyrate, is an analog of attractants of European and Asian congeners. Attraction of the 3 Gambrinus species to limoniic acid parallels recent reports of attraction of the congeners G. seminudus (Van Dyke) and G. ursinus (Van Dyke) to this compound, which was originally identified from closely related species of Limonius. Full identifications of additional sex pheromones for elaterid species should provide a more complete picture of the diversities/similarities of the semiochemicals mediating reproductive behaviors of this biologically diverse and taxonomically complex group.}, journal={ENVIRONMENTAL ENTOMOLOGY}, author={Millar, Jocelyn G. and Williams III, Livy and Serrano, Jacqueline M. and Mcelrath, Thomas C. and Zou, Yunfan and Grommes-Yeager, Anna C. and Schoeppner, Emma and Huseth, Anders S. and Kuhar, Thomas P. and Etzler, Frank E. and et al.}, editor={Cha, Dong HEditor}, year={2024}, month={Sep} }
 @article{schoeppner_millar_kuhar_doughty_cherry_hall_knowles_williams_huseth_2023, title={Optimization of 13-tetradecenyl acetate sex pheromone for trapping <i>Melanotus communis</i> (Coleoptera: Elateridae)}, volume={5}, ISSN={0022-0493 1938-291X}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jee/toad086}, DOI={10.1093/jee/toad086}, abstractNote={Abstract
               Corn wireworm, Melanotus communis Gyllenhal (Coleoptera: Elateridae), is an economically important larval pest of root and tuber crops in the United States. Previous work to estimate field-level abundance of M. communis has focused on grain-based larval baits placed in soil. However, this sampling method is labor intensive and may not estimate population size accurately. Recent discovery of the M. communis sex pheromone, 13-tetradecenyl acetate, provides a new method to monitor this pest during the adult stage. Early studies with this pheromone showed that different trapping methods might enhance catch and improve trap servicing. We hypothesized that placing lures on elevated traps would increase M. communis capture relative to the in-ground pitfall trapping that is currently used. We had 2 objectives for this study: (a) to compare pheromone captures among in-ground pitfall traps, on-ground pitfalls, elevated pitfalls (1 m), or elevated sticky cards (1 m) and (b) test lure longevity by aging the lures outdoors at 8-, 6-, 4-, 2-, and 0-wk intervals prior to trap deployment in the field. Experiments were conducted in North Carolina, Virginia, South Carolina, and Florida during the 2021 and 2022 field seasons. Results highlight large variation in M. communis abundance across the 4 states. We showed that 1 m elevated pheromone traps caught the most beetles. The age of the lure prior to deployment had a significant effect on trap catch. The lures that were aged for fewer weeks attracted significantly more beetles, with 0- and 2-wk-old lures capturing the greatest numbers.}, journal={Journal of Economic Entomology}, publisher={Oxford University Press (OUP)}, author={Schoeppner, Emma and Millar, Jocelyn G and Kuhar, Thomas P and Doughty, Hélène and Cherry, Ronald H and Hall, Grace and Knowles, Caitlin G and Williams, Livy, III and Huseth, Anders S}, editor={Puche, HelenaEditor}, year={2023}, month={May} }