The development of static trapping systems to monitor for wood-boring insects in forestry plantations

Abstract

Summary The effectiveness of combinations of panel and funnel static traps with lures in surveillance to detect wood-boring insects in softwood (Pinus) and hardwood (Eucalyptus) plantations was examined. Static trapping systems proved to be an effective tool for monitoring specific pest species such as the wood wasp Sirex noctilio, detecting their presence when more traditional surveillance methods did not. Traps can detect a broad range of wood-boring species, enabling detection of low (pre-outbreak) populations of pest species. The panel and funnel traps were found to be at least as effective as Malaise trapping, light trapping and insect rearing in determining the wood-boring insects present in a plantation. A strategy for the operational deployment of static traps for detecting developing outbreaks has still to be finalised — full deployment in all susceptible plantations is unlikely to be cost-effective, but sub-sampling susceptible plantations is feasible. The development of surveillance systems using static traps to detect exotic wood-borers is discussed.