Oviposition deterrence associated with larval frass of the Japanese pine sawyer, Monochamus alternatus (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)

Abstract

To determine the effect of larval frass of Monochamus alternatus on oviposition preference of the female adults, three tests were performed in the laboratory. Individual females were provided with a frass-coated, Pinus densiflora bolt and an untreated bolt simultaneously and were allowed to oviposit for 24 h. They deposited a significantly smaller number of eggs on frass-coated bolts. The females supplied with frass-coated bolts deposited no eggs on them, indicating that the larval frass deterred the females from oviposition. When individual females were provided simultaneously with a pine bolt applied with a methanol extract of larval frass and another bolt applied with methanol alone, they deposited a significantly smaller number of eggs on frass extract-applied bolts for 24 h. These results suggest the presence of a putative oviposition deterrent in larval frass of M. alternatus. Each test was replicated 19–20 times using different females.