The mating disruption technique is close to a commercial breakthrough, but needs to become more economic and more reliable, especially at high population densities. Most important work is done by growers and pest control experts who coordinate and survey the practical use of pheromones. Successful applications require basic knowledge of dispenser materials, active ingredients and their effect on insect behaviour, as well as the population dynamics of the pest species. Another crucial issue is the assessment of damage during the season. Pheromone traps are an efficient, inexpensive and specific tool to detect the presence of insects and to monitor their flight period.
Pheromone traps are available for virtually all economically important lepidopteran species.
Pheromone lures are commercially available from a number of companies - but these lures vary greatly in efficacy. This is due to a varying degree of purity of the starting materials as well as inadvertent changes in dispenser materials, lure composition and dose from one year to the other. The Working Group is engaged in the quality control of pheromone lures. The mating disruption technique is available only for key species. Insect pathogens, parasites and predators are efficient antagonists for a range of insects, which complement and enhance the efficacy of pheromonal methods.