Semiochemicals for bark beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) management in western North America: where do we go from here?

This paper is intended as an assessment of the state of knowledge and development of semiochemical methods for control of bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in western North America and as a roadmap for future research and development in this field. It is based on a keynote presentation given at the symposium Managing Bark and Ambrosia Beetles with Semiochemicals, held in 2018 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, at the Joint Meeting of the Entomological Society of America, the Entomological Society of Canada, and the Entomological Society of British Columbia. We describe currently available active ingredients, formulations, and release devices. Furthermore, we describe the most urgently needed new products and techniques, and constraints to their further development. Finally, we speculate about opportunities afforded by new advances in microbial synthesis of semiochemicals, streamlining of regulatory processing, and aerial application using unmanned aerial vehicles.

Automated summary

This paper assesses the current state of semiochemical methods for bark beetle control in western North America and outlines a roadmap for future research and development in the field. It discusses available active ingredients, formulations, release devices as well as the need for new products and techniques, and constraints to their development. The paper also speculates on opportunities presented by advancements in microbial synthesis of semiochemicals, regulatory streamlining, and aerial application using unmanned aerial vehicles.