Red Turpentine Beetle Dendroctonus valens LeConte

Abstract

The red turpentine bettle (RTB), Dendroctonus valens LeConte (Coleoptera:Curculionidae: Scolytinae), is a secondary pest of pines in its native ranges in North and Central America. Outbreaks and tree mortality caysed by RTB alone are rare in its native ranges. RTB was detected in China in the early 1980s and spread rapidly from Shanxi province to the adjacent provinces, and has caused extensive tree mortality since 1999. In this chapter, we discuss factors likely contributing to D. valens invasion success and control strategies in China. Genetic variation of RTB, interactions between RTB and its associated fungi, behavioral differences in Chinese RTB, and other factors favoring RTB outbreaks are considered in an effort to explain the invasiveness of RTB in China. Promising management options for controlling RTB, as with any bark beetle pest, including regulatory, silvicultural, insecticidal, and semiochemical tactics, are also discussed.