ABSTRACT
Plastic laminate films containing an inner reservoir layer of pheromone have been applied in a wide variety of insect programs to control the release of pheromones in both trapping and air permeation experiments. Emission of pheromone from a controlled release formulation is generally limited by a diffusion process, that is, the rate of emission is dependent on the parameters of the barrier to free emission and the concentration gradient across that barrier. The effect of each of the variables on the release rate of pheromone must be determined in order to obtain the optimum formulation. The effect of temperature on the release rate is a major consideration in the design of formulations. Wind or air movement increases loss from the surfaces of many types of controlled release formulations; as an example, the emission of disparlure from plastic laminates was found to increase in proportion to airflow.
