Control of Tomicus piniperda (Coleoptera: Scolytidae)in Pine Stumps and Logs

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Tomicus piniperda (L.), the pine shoot beetle, is an exotic bark beetle that was found in North America in 1992.A federal quarantine restricts shipment of infested pine Christmas trees into uninfested areas. Recently cut pine stumps, trees, or logs are frequently present in Christmas tree production fields and can be colonized by parent beetles. We evaluated effectiveness of insecticides, 2 semiochemicals (verbenone and 4-allylanisol), and a cultural method of cutting stumps short, in reducing emergence or survival of T. piniperda beetles. Chlorpyrifos applied to the bark of Scotch pine stumps before colonization by parent beetles significantly reduced numbers of progeny beetles emerging from stumps compared with untreated controls. Cutting stumps short (e.g.< 6-8 cm tall) reduced phloem area available to colonizing parent beetles and feeding larvae. Fewer progeny beetles emerged from short stumps than from untreated stumps that were ≈35-40 cm tall. Emergence of progeny beetles from stumps with verbenone dispensers and stumps with 4-allylanisol dispensers was not significantly different from untreated controls. In 2 other studies, Scotch pine logs were treated with insecticides after colonization by parent beetles but before emergence of progeny beetles. Results indicated that chlorpyrifos, lindane, and cyfluthrin significantly reduced progeny beetle emergence. These insecticides, as well as bifenthrin, esfenvalerate, lamdacyhalothrin, and carbaryl, also significantly reduced survival of emerged progeny beetles compared with untreated controls.