Frequency, species composition and efficiency of Ips typographus (Col., Scolytidae) parasitoids in infested spruce forests in the National Park “Bavarian Forest” over three consecutive years

Abstract

During the summers of three consecutive years (2002, 2003 and 2004) the parasitoid fauna of the spruce bark beetle Ips typographus was investigated in the national park “Bavarian Forest”. In the central part of this forest no human influence in the population dynamics is allowed, whereas, in the surrounding no bark beetle attacks are accepted and all infested wood is removed consequently. Species frequency and species composition did not differ much in 2002 and 2003, when Coeloides bostrichorum and Roptrocerus sp. was most numerous. But in 2004 species composition changed with the increase of R. tutela and the decrease of C. bostrichorum. We found that C. bostrichorum reached very high numbers of individuals, but its frequency did not exceed 31% during 3 years while the pteromalid wasps were not so numerous, but had very high frequencies. For Roptrocerus, we found 55, 82 and 85% and for R. tutela 41, 67 and 85% frequency. In 2004, mean parasitization was higher (8.5) as in 2003 (5.8%). The highest parasitization in one sample was 92.2% in 2002 caused by C. bostrichorum, 73.5% in 2003 caused by C. bostrichorum and R. tutela and 59.8% in 2004 caused by R. tutela and Roptrocerus. Our hypothesis that the influence of parasitoids on the population dynamics of I. typographus is greater in natural forests than in normal treated forests could not be corroborated.