This project has led to a significant advance in our understanding of the feeding behaviour of the adult heliothis moth. It has used detailed studies in ecology and behaviour of H. armigera to examine novel control strategies based around luring and killing adult moths. Our results will assist the design of more effective lures through consideration of important behavioural effects and odour preferences. We designed and executed a series of detailed experiments using odour lures and extended these experiments to allow moths to forage freely on flowers; testing their preferences for odours. Our results demonstrated odour learning on a number of levels, and provided evidence that flower visiting history influences attraction to odours. In addition to this we discovered that the enantiomeric forms of odour compounds may differ in their attractiveness to adult female moths, a finding that may improve the selection of synthetic odours for lures. Our results have been submitted as 3 key papers to international scientific journals.

We show that the location of feeding sites for adult moths influences the distribution of heliothis eggs. Our results imply that adult feeding sites have the potential to draw in adult moths to feed and that moths may then lay on nearby cotton plants. In addition, we show that male and female adult H. armigera moths may have differences in nectar feeding preferences. Our findings help elucidate why certain crops may be more attractive than others and why certain stages of the plant life cycle receive more heliothis eggs than others.

We have collected data on nectar foraging moths, which suggests that virgin female and male moths may be flying specifically to certain crops to feed. Specifically, we have shown that pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan), used as a refuge and trap crop, is highly attractive as a host for feeding adult moths. We have backed field studies with controlled experiments carried out in outdoor flight cages. Our findings could be utilised to improve control methods and also cautions the use of some crops as refuges and trap crops, in that they may extend the lifespan and fecundity of this pest species.

In conclusion this work has contributed to the design of new heliothis control strategies, providing information that will help the improvement of lure and kill, trap cropping, refuge cropping and population monitoring strategies and the future production of new varieties of cotton with lower attractiveness to moths. It will benefit the Australian cotton industry and the Australian community by aiding the design and development of new economic and environmentally friendly methods of insect pest control.