The response of mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) to lodgepole pine trees baited with verbenone and exo-brevicomin.

exo-brevicomin, a multifunctional pheromone of the mountain pine beetle,Dendroctonus ponderosae, was tested at release rates of 0.5 and 2.5 mg/day alone and in combination with the antiaggregation pheromone verbenone against unbaited controls. Significantly more lodgepole pinePinus contorta var.latifolia trees were attacked, and at higher densities, with both release rates ofexo-brevicomin than with all other treatments. Verbenone significantly reduced the response of mountain pine beetles toexo-brevicomin. Verbenone alone did not reduce the number of trees attacked by mountain pine beetle or the attack density when compared to the unbaited controls.