Abstract
Adult feeding preferences of Hylobius abietis on Picea abies, Larix decidua, Pinus sylvestris, Pseudotsuga menziesii, Abies alba and Betula pendula were tested in outdoor conditions. The preferred food source was P. menziesii, and the mean bark area consumed per seedling was 440.8 ± 147.9 mm2. The second most preferred host was P. abies. The coniferous species that suffered the least damage was A. alba (76.8 ± 62.56 mm2 per seedling). B. pendula was the least preferred source of food, and it caused mortality of 60% of weevils that fed on it. Weevils exhibited large differences in fecundity when fed with different tree species in a laboratory experiment. The largest number of eggs was laid by females fed with P. abies. Mean egg numbers reached 26.4 ± 24.89 eggs per experiment for P. abies. Similar fecundity was observed in weevils fed with twigs of P. sylvestris. Oviposition was approximately six times lower in females fed with L. decidua and P. menziesii. The maximum number of eggs laid by a single female during a one-month experiment was 90. The results are discussed in relation to management of H. abietis.
Highlights
Sanitation logging in the areas of recent bark beetle outbreaks in Europe has magnified the amount of available breeding substrate [3,4,5,6]
Adult beetles were placed in plastic containers in groups of twenty with a tube of water and fed P. abies and Pinus sylvestris branches
The results indicate that some proportion of weevils fed on B. pendula even in the presence of coniferous seedlings, which increased their mortality
Summary
The large pine weevil Hylobius abietis (L.) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is an economically important species causing damage in coniferous plantations in Europe and Asia [1,2]. Its pest status is a consequence of modern silvicultural practices that are largely based on clearcuttings and reforestation. Sanitation logging in the areas of recent bark beetle outbreaks in Europe has magnified the amount of available breeding substrate [3,4,5,6].
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