Monitoring of the pine sawyer beetle Monochamus galloprovincialis by pheromone traps in Italy

Abstract

The pine sawyer beetle Monochamus galloprovincialis (Olivier) (Coleoptera Cerambycidae) gained importance as a pest in Europe after the introduction in Portugal of the pine wood nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, the agent of pine wilt disease. As the nematode is transmitted by the adult beetles during both maturation feeding and oviposition, effective methods of monitoring of the longhorn beetle populations are needed for the surveillance of the disease spread in Europe. Although in the last years many studies focused on the efficacy of different trapping methods, the general results are still controversial. In this study, we compared the efficiency of two trap types, cross-vane and multi-funnel, and two attractive blends, a kairomonal lure (α-pinene, ipsenol and methyl-butenol) and a commercial kit specific for M. galloprovincialis (pheromone plus kairomonal lure), in order to identify the trap/blend combination more appropriate for the surveillance of the M. galloprovincialis populations. Moreover, the trap efficiency was tested also in a pine stand colonized by M. galloprovincialis after a hailstorm and in a control stand. The results showed that the multi-funnel traps baited with the specific commercial kit was the most effective combination. Interestingly, trap catch was similar in the two pine stands, despite a different density of the target species. As the trapping method was effective also at low population density of M. galloprovincialis, it may be adopted as a general tool for beetle surveillance in the forest and at ports of entry.