![]() “The tools we develop now can be used to make sure crops from any exporting country are much safer to import into California.”īranch die-back in a Chinese flame tree because of invasive shothole borer infestation. “We've been fortunate enough to be awarded these grants, so our work can be implemented in Mexico and benefit California at the same time,” Hoddle said. Hoddle is hopeful that the pheromone will be successfully identified and used to lower the risk this pest presents to California's avocado growers. Initially, Millar's group made a mixture of both forms to see if the blend would work as an attractant, as it is far cheaper to make the blend than the individual left- or right-handed forms.įield work in Mexico with the pheromone cocktail by Hoddle, his wife Christina Hoddle, an associate specialist in entomology, and Mexican collaborators did not get a big response from the weevils, suggesting that one of the forms in the blend could be antagonizing the response to the other.Īs the next step, the researchers plan to synthesize the individual forms of the chemicals and test the insects' response to each in Mexican avocado orchards.īecause the levels of avocado imports from Mexico are increasing, the risk of an accidental weevil invasion is rising as well. When they're made in a lab, they can have left- or right-handed forms,” said Hoddle. “Weevil pheromones have complicated structures. Possible pheromone compound formulas were identified from these crude extracts and are now being synthesized in Millar's laboratory. Hoddle and Sean Halloran, a UCR entomology researcher, captured the chemicals that avocado weevils release into the air. Using a special permit issued by the USDA, Hoddle brought weevils back to UCR's Insectary and Quarantine facility. Photo by Mark Hoddle, UC RiversideĪn initial phase of the project sent Hoddle to a base of operations three hours south of Mexico City, an area with large weevil populations. The work to identify, synthesize and test this pheromone in the field is supported by grants from the California Department of Food and Agriculture, as well as the California Avocado Commission.Īn avocado damaged by the weevil. “This would reduce damage to fruit and enable growers to use less insecticides.”Īlternative control strategies could include mass trapping, using the pheromone as a lure, or an “attract-and-kill” approach, where the pheromone attracts the weevils to small sources of insecticide. “We could flood avocado orchards with so much pheromone that males and females can't find each other, and therefore can't reproduce,” Hoddle said. Pheromones are chemicals produced and released into the environment by an insect that can be “smelled” by others of its species, and affect their behavior. They are leading an effort to find the weevil's pheromone, with the goal of using it to monitor these pests and prevent them from mating in avocado orchards. To combat avocado weevils in Mexico, an area where they are native, and to prevent them from being accidentally introduced into California, Hoddle is working with Jocelyn Millar, a UCR insect pheromone expert. ![]() “Natural enemies of these weevils seem to be extremely rare in areas where this pest is native,” Hoddle said. ![]() However, that is unlikely to work in this case. One strategy for controlling pests is to introduce other insects that feed on them. They're well recognized, serious pests of avocados, but we know practically nothing about them,” Hoddle said. “All books on avocado pest management will tell you these weevils are bad. Not only are the insects reclusive, they are also understudied, making information about them hard to come by. ![]() UCCE entomology specialist Mark Hoddle in Mexico, hunting avocado weevils. Sierra Foothill Research and Extension Center.California Rangeland Research and Information Center.California Institute for Water Resources.Youth, Family and Communities Statewide Program.Fruits and Nuts Research and Information Center.Vegetable Research and Information Center.Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program.Statewide IPM Project pest management guidelines.Postharvest Technology Research and Information Center.Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center.Fruit and Nut Research and Information Center.Agronomy Research and Information Center.California 4-H Youth Development Program.UC Riverside College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences.UC Davis College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences.UC Berkeley College of Natural Resources.
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