Rate of Release of Disparlure from Laminated Plastic Dispensers1

Abstract
Plastic laminate dispensers and other controlled-release devices provide a useful method for dispensing insect pheromones in field programs. Hercon® laminate dispensers containing disparlure, the sex attractant of the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar (L.), were used in an emission rate study to determine the effect of temperature, air flow, dispenser thickness and size, lure content, and aging period. The release rate was found to be proportional to the rate of air flow and to the lure content; the log of the rate was proportional to 1/T in a temperature study. An increase in dispenser thickness produced a corresponding reduction in the emission rate. The lure diffused not only through the laminate surfaces but also out of the perimeter edge. The loss of lure from different sizes of dispensers over a 120-day period ranged from 38 to 68% of that originally present.