The mealybug, Planococcus ficus (Signoret), is one of the more damaging vineyard pests and an important vector of Grapevine leafroll-associated viruses. Pheromone-mediated mating disruption is a commercially available and environmentally sustainable control tool for P. ficus. Here we report on a three-year areawide study of P. ficus mating disruption in Napa County, California, where pheromone dispensers were deployed across large (53–66 ha) multi-owner sites that were paired with sites that did not receive pheromone. Male P. ficus captures in pheromone traps were correlated with mealybug numbers and crop damage, and were useful in identifying ‘hotspots’ to be targeted with insecticide applications for areawide control. Trap catches at mating disruption sites were far lower than untreated sites, although mealybugs were still present at mating disruption sites. Evidence indicated that mating disruption reduced P. ficus density and spread, particularly in areas with low initial mealybug densities. In the third year, areawide mating disruption was discontinued at the former mating disruption sites and, as evidence of its impact, P. ficus trap captures increased. These results suggest that mating disruption and well-timed, effective insecticide applications play complementary roles, and that monitoring the areawide distribution of pests is a critical component of programs for controlling P. ficus.

粉蚧，Planococcus ficus (Signoret)，是最具破坏性的葡萄园害虫之一，也是葡萄叶卷相关病毒的重要载体。信息素介导的交配中断是市售的和环境可持续发展的控制工具P.榕树。在这里，我们报告了一项为期三年的加利福尼亚州纳帕县P. ficus交配中断的区域研究，在那里，信息素分配器部署在大型（53-66 公顷）多所有者站点，这些站点与未接收信息素的站点配对。雄性榕树信息素陷阱中的捕获与粉蚧数量和作物损害相关，可用于确定杀虫剂应用的目标“热点”，以进行区域控制。尽管粉蚧仍然存在于交配破坏地点，但交配破坏地点的陷阱捕获量远低于未经处理的地点。有证据表明，交配中断降低了P. ficus 的密度和传播，特别是在初始粉蚧密度较低的地区。在第三年，前交配中断点的区域交配中断停止了，作为其影响的证据，P. ficus陷阱捕获增加。这些结果表明，交配中断和适时、有效的杀虫剂施用起到了互补作用，并且监测害虫的大面积分布是控制P. ficus计划的关键组成部分。