Feeding Status Influences Adult Vine Weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) Behaviour to Conspecific Volatiles

Abstract

Vine weevil, Otiorhynchus sulcatus F. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is widely considered to be one of the most economically important pests of soft-fruit and ornamental crops. The chemical ecology of vine weevil has been extensively studied in the pursuit of a semiochemical lure to improve monitoring tool sensitivity/reliability and develop novel control methods. Although vine weevil adults exhibit a strong tendency to aggregate, the mechanism underlying this behaviour has not, to date, been identified. It is notable, however, that previous studies have not considered the impact of feeding status on vine weevil aggregation behaviour. To investigate the importance of feeding status on aggregation behavior, this study recorded the responses of satiated and starved vine weevil adults to the odour of starved conspecifics. Satiated adults exhibited a preference for the odour of conspecifics while starved vine weevils exhibited no such preference. Therefore, this study provides evidence to support the hypothesis that feeding status is an important factor for vine weevil aggregation.