Progress towards a multi-species lure: Identification of components of food volatiles as attractants for three storage beetles

The objective of this study was to identify the attractive components of a carob–peanut extract which is known to be attractive to the three principal grain beetle pests in the UK (Oryzaephilus surinamensis, Sitophilus granarius and Cryptolestes ferrugineus). Coupled GC-EAG was used to determine which components in the extract elicited an EAG response. The total number of GC peaks, which elicited an EAG response from O. surinamensis, S. granarius and C. ferrugineus was four, 10 and 12, respectively. The components responsible for these peaks were identified by GC-MS and the compounds tested for a behavioural response in pitfall bioassays along with some other potential attractants, identified from a literature review. Oryzaephilus surinamensis, S. granarius and C. ferrugineus responded in bioassays to six, five and nine compounds, respectively. Two compounds (E-2-nonenal and 4-ethylacetophenone) elicited a positive behavioural response from all three species and three compounds (2-phenylethanol, hexanoic acid and E-3-octen-2-one) elicited a response from two of the species. This work has identified a number of compounds, which could form the basis for the formulation of a multi-species lure for the three principal grain beetle pests in the UK.