Indian meal moths, Plodia interpunctella, are pests of stored products including bulk stored grains and processed goods. Recently developed mating disruption methods have been used to reduce populations in retail and commercial warehouse spaces. This mating disruption uses a synthetic pheromone lure to remove or distract males from the mating population. However, while populations are reduced over time with mating disruption, populations are usually not totally eliminated. One reason for this could be due to female autorecognition of the pheromone components and behavioral compensation which could maintain some level of mating among individuals within the population.

This dataset contains behavioral data associated with the response of female Indian meal moths to synthetic pheromone within the environment. Walking, cleaning, and calling (when pheromone is released by the female) behaviors are quantified for two strains from Northeast Kansas. One strain was collected in 2019 and the other in 2017. Behavioral assays consisted of exposure to pheromone septum lures or clean air for 15 minutes. General mobility behaviors were also quantified using Ethovision XT computer software, including distance moved and high mobility, mobile, and immobile events.