Cosmopolites sordidus

December 2003. A question from Malaysia on the efficiency of pheromones for trapping the Banana corm borer, Cosmopolites sordidus (and Odioporus longicolis, the stem boring weevil). How useful are the pheromones?

It was reported that a pheromone is avaialble in India and effective (although it was not sure which one). In Australia, the pheromone for Cosmopolites sordidus is commercially available from Dr Cameron Oeschlager of ChemTica Internacional SA, Zete Industrial Park, La Valencia, Heredia, Costa Rica. The pheromeone is sordidin (no ‘e’). It has been tested in Australia and is up to ten times more attractive than conventional baits made from cut banana pseudostems. It is an interesting product since it is an aggregation pheromone (quite common in weevils) and attracts both sexes. It was thought unlikely that there is any similar pheromone available for Oidoiporus.