Male attraction to the sex pheromone, (E)-9-dodecenyl acetate, of the European pine shoot moth,Rhyacionia buoliana(Schiffermüller), is suppressed if lure formulations contain the geometrical isomer in proportions as low as 3%. However, spatial dispersion of the inhibitory isomer around pheromone or virgin-female-baited traps did not prevent male orientation. In contrast, when the pheromone alone was released around baited traps in identical plots, male orientation to the traps was successfully disrupted. These findings suggest that forR. buolianathe actual pheromone is superior to inhibitory compounds for mating disruption on an area-wide basis.