Cactus Moth (Cactoblastis cactorum) |
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Cooperative Research on Control Strategies
Currently, the best hope for control of C. cactorum lies with the use of the sterile insect technique (SIT). There are effective insecticides if applied at the time when egg sticks or neonate larvae are present, but this method would only be appropriate in urban or agricultural situations. The candidate biological control agents that are known are not specific enough in their host preferences to be considered.
An experimental sex lure is now available in large enough quantities for trapping on a limited basis. This work is made possible by researchers with the USDA Agriculture Research Service (ARS) in Florida (Robert Heath, Nancy Epsky, Barbara Duben, and Peter Teal). The final sex pheromone should be available in the coming months.
USDA, ARS and APHIS researchers in Florida (Stephen Hight, Ken and Stephanie Bloem,) and Georgia (Jim Carpenter) have made great strides in research since 2000 and the resulting technical developments make SIT a viable alternative for suppressing C. cactorum populations. The artificial diet developed is effective to make large scale artificial rearing possible and the irradiation biology testing indicates that reared sterilized insects are as competitive as native moths in field cage studies. The concept of control using SIT is to overwhelm the native population with sterile individuals, thereby drastically reducing the probability of native female’s mating with fertile, native males. Beginning in the Spring of 2005, they began releasing sterilized C. cactorum in a large scale validation study on Santa Rosa Island, Florida and Dauphin Island, Alabama.
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The Pherocon® 1C wing trap has been tested by ARS and shown to be the most effective design at attracting males moths, with an optimum 3 to 4 foot trap height. Image: Stephen Hight, ARS. |
| Rearing C. cactorum on an artificial diet and irradiator used to sterilize pupae | |
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C. cactorum rearing trays |
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C. Cactorum larvae |
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Irradiator |