Potential for acoustic mating disruption: Noise-masking affects the courtship behavior of Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella, is a cosmopolitan and damaging stored product lepidopteran. During courtship, males produce ultrasonic calls to persuade females to mate. If this process is disrupted with anthropogenically-produced noise through noise-masking, it may be possible to implement an acoustic form of mating disruption at food facilities. As a result, artificially produced sound emissions may alter courtship behavior and success by P. interpunctella. Thus, we investigated different levels of noise-masking in simulated warehouses and their ability to disrupt typical courtship behaviors by P. interpunctella. In particular, we observed P. interpunctella courtship behaviors with 10 min video and sound recordings in environments that were 1) low noise (e.g., buffered environment in an office), 2) intermediate noise (simulated warehouse), and 3) high noise (simulated warehouse + mechanically produced sound). High noise environments had an automated flask shaker with a metal canister and molecular silicon beads. We hypothesized that increasing noise would disrupt normal behaviors by P. interpunctella during courtship. In characterizing the sound profiles of our different environments with AudioMoth™, we found we successfully created different acoustic profiles in low, intermediate, and high noise environments. When we recorded time to copulation, mating success, time spent face-to-face, and time spent wing fanning by moths, we found significant changes in these behaviors in higher noise environments. Our results suggest that we may be able to use noise-making devices to interfere with the life cycle of P. interpunctella at critical points.