European Woodwasp: A Potential Threat to North America's Conifer Forests

Abstract

Abstract The European woodwasp, Sirex noctilio, a wood-boring insect native to Eurasia and northern Africa, has become established in several countries in the Southern Hemisphere where Monterey, loblolly, slash, and other North American pine species are widely used in plantations. These pines can be killed by the fungus and mucus transmitted by female woodwasps during egg laying, and the large tunnels constructed by the larvae damage the structural integrity of the wood. Should the European woodwasp become established in North America, it could cause severe damage to conifer forests.