We tested two formulations of verbenone for efÞcacy in protecting ponderosa pine trees from attack by the red turpentine beetle, Dendroctonus valens LeConte: (1) polyethylene bubblecaps Þlled with 800 mg of neat verbenone, and (2) a sprayable water suspension of microencapsulated verbenone. We baited artiÞcial trees (cardboard cylinders coupled with Lindgren pheromone traps) with host kairomones and the verbenone formulations. EfÞcacy was measured by numbers of beetles captured in baited traps.

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... Both release systems signiÞcantly reduced trap catch, and there was no signiÞcant difference between them. Both systems have promise for use in forest stands, depending on management objectives and land use. Verbenone was an interruptant for some nontarget insects, especially Coleoptera, and none were consistently attracted to verbenone. We report on verbenone as an interruptant to host attraction in the red turpentine beetle, and also on the efÞcacy of a microencapsulated scolytid semiochemical.