Factors influencing response of flying Prostephanus truncatus to its male‐produced aggregation pheromone

Abstract. The effects of age, sex, mating status, pre‐exposure to pheromone, resource (diet) quality, and starvation on the response of Prostephanus truncatus (Horn) (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae) to its male‐produced aggregation pheromone were investigated.Age was an important factor determining the level of response to pheromone: young adults were more responsive than older adults.The suitability of the resource in which P.truncatus is present affected its dispersal tendency, but not its sensitivity to pheromone per se. Sex, mating status, brief prior exposure to pheromone, and starvation did not influence the response of the larger grain borer to pheromone.The orientation behaviour of the beetle is described, and it is proposed that the pheromone primarily functions as a ‘suitable resource location and colonization signal’.