Development of a female-targeted attractant for the click beetle, Agriotes ustulatus Schwarz

A binary combination of the synthetic floral compounds (E)-anethol and (E)-cinnamaldehyde has been optimized as a female-targeted lure for adults of the click beetle, Agriotes ustulatus Schwarz (Coleoptera, Elateridae). This bait when placed in traps attracted significant numbers of beetles and a high percentage of the captured specimens was female. Painting the trap in white (a colour to which attraction of A. ustulatus was reported in the literature) had no significant effect on the performance of the floral attractant. To our knowledge this is the first synthetic attractant discovered for female click beetles. Application perspectives for female-targeted lures is shortly discussed