Synergy between empty oil palm fruit bunches and synthetic aggregation pheromone (ethyl 4-methyloctanoate) for mass trapping of Oryctes rhinoceros beetles in the oil palm plantations in Indonesia

Oryctes rhinoceros (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae, Dynastinae) is one of the most important pests on the oil palm plantation in Indonesia, especially on young oil palms in the replanting areas. New control method of this pest using a synthetic aggregation pheromone (Ethyl 4-methyloctanoate) for catching the rhinoceros beetles has given a good result, but the effective dose of the pheromone was quite expensive. It was observed that empty oil palm fruit bunches (EFB) are also an attractant and the heap of this material is a favorable breeding site for the beetle. The EFB is one of solid wastes of oil palm mill that could be supplied continuously to the oil palm plantation. In this paper, we report that the use of EFB and synthetic aggregation pheromone in traps is able to increase the total number of beetles catches significantly compared to EFB or pheromone alone. This synergistic effect increasing the mass trapping can reduce the pheromone dose required and consequently can decrease the cost price. (Résumé d'auteur