Oviposition Biology of the Pine Sawyer, Monochamus carolinensis (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)

Abstract

Several aspects of the oviposition biology of Monochamus carolinensis were observed. The oviposition sites of M. carolinensis varied in appearance with the thickness of the bark. The sexual maturation period ranged from 7 to 12 days. On Scotch pine ( Pinus sylvestris L.), mean (±SD) number of eggs per site in the laboratory was 0.76 ± 0.50 (n = 1,402), and 0.87 ± 0.35 ( n = 652) in the field. Mean life span of adult females was 61.4 ± 19.2 days ( n = 5) and the mean total number of eggs deposited was 200.0 ± 89.0 eggs per female. Most oviposition occurred at night and in the middle to upper portions of the bole. Jack pine ( P. banksiana Lamb.) had a higher oviposition-site density than Scotch pine, shortleaf pine ( P. echinata [Mill.]), and eastern white pine ( P. strobus L.).