Chinese banyan, Ficus microcarpa L. f. (Rosales: Moraceae), is a popular landscape tree in many tropical regions of the world. In Hawaii, these trees are severely infested by 2 host-specific insect species in the family Agaonidae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea): the Chinese banyan leaf gall wasp, Josephiella microcarpae Beardsley & Rasplus, and the stem gall wasp Josephiella sp. (currently being described). Infestations by these insects result in gall formation on young leaves and shoots, premature leaf drop, new shoot death, poor tree health, and eventually death of the tree. We evaluated the efficacy and persistence of 2 systemic insecticides, imidacloprid and emamectin benzoate, with or without phosphorous acid amendment, delivered through trunk injection to control these 2 wasp species in Honolulu, Hawaii. Although both systemic insecticides had some effect against leaf gall wasps for up to 18 mo post treatment, only emamectin benzoate persisted against stem gall wasps for up to 14 mo post treatment. Phosphorous acid amendment did not provide any benefits for Chinese banyans to mitigate wasp infestations. In conclusion, trunk injection of emamectin benzoate could be a feasible management strategy to control stem and leaf gall wasps on Chinese banyans in Hawaii.

Different enantiomeric ratios and elution rates of the inhibitor pheromones verbenone and racemic endo-brevicomin were evaluated for their effects on the numerical response of the southern pine beetle, Dendroctonusfrontalis Zimm., to attractant-baited traps. Enantiomeric ratios and elution rates of verbenone were important factors in inhibiting response of male D. frontalis. Deterrence was most effective for enantiomeric ratios of verbenone containing 34 and 50% of the (+) enantiomer. Using a 34% (+): 66% (−) mixture of verbenone, the number of male D. frontalis captured in attractant-baited traps declined as elution rates increased from 4.2 to 12.5 mg/h. None of the enantiomeric ratios or elution rates of verbenone tested consistently influenced female response. endo-Brevicomin added to attractant-baited traps reduced catches of male D. frontalis, but did not significantly reduce catches further when added to traps also emitting verbenone. Female catches were not reduced significantly by the presence of endo-brevicomin. Numerical responses of the predatory beetle Thanasimusdubius Fab. are generally unaffected by the presence of verbenone alone or in combination with endo-brevicomin.

We evaluated the efficacy of systemic insecticides emamectin benzoate and fipronil for preventing mortality of individual loblolly pines, Pinus taeda L., as a result of attacks by southern pine bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae) for two consecutive years in Mississippi (2005-2006) and Alabama (2006-2007). Trees were injected once in the spring of 2005 (Mississippi) or 2006 (Alabama) and then were baited with species-specific bark beetle lures several weeks later. The southern pine beetle, Dendroctonus frontalis Zimmermann, was the target species but was changed to Ips spp. in Mississippi (but not Alabama) the second year because of few southern pine beetle attacks on baited trees. Single injections of emamectin benzoate were effective in reducing tree mortality caused by bark beetles compared with untreated checks. Although less effective overall, fipronil also significantly reduced tree mortality from southern pine beetle compared with the checks during the second year in Alabama. Tree mortality continued well after the lures had been removed. Evaluations of bolts taken from experimental trees killed in 2006 indicated that emamectin benzoate effectively prevented parent bark beetle gallery construction and that fipronil significantly reduced lengths of galleries constructed by adult beetles, brood development, and emergence, compared with checks. In contrast, neither insecticide treatment prevented the bark beetles from inoculating blue stain fungi, Ophiostoma spp., into treated trees.

Three systemic insecticide treatments, emamectin benzoate alone, imidacloprid alone, and a combination of emamectin benzoate and thiamethoxam, were injected one or two times into loblolly pine,Pinus taeda L., during a 2 yr period in a seed orchard in east Texas. Single injections of treatments containing emamectin benzoate reduced coneworm (Dioryctria spp.) damage by 94–97% during the study period. A second injection after 1 yr did not improve protection. Imidacloprid also significantly reduced coneworm damage in 1999, but not in 2000. Significant reductions in damage from pine seed bugs (Tetyra bipunctata Say andLeptoglossus corculus Herrich-Schaffer) and an increase in the number of full seeds per cone resulted from imidacloprid and thiamethoxam treatments and to a lesser extent from emamectin benzoate. Yearly injections of imidacloprid or thiamethoxam were required to maintain protection against seed bugs. The best overall treatment, two injections of emamectin benzoate plus thiamethoxam, reduced cone and seed losses from insects by 86%. South. J. Appl. For. 26(3):146–152.

Use of the Dendroctonus frontalis inhibitor pheromone verbenone, as a treatment on trees within infestations, is effective in suppressing or halting infestation growth. It is hypothesized that the inhibitor disrupts the orientation of flying adult D. frontalis to host trees and, as a result, sufficient attacking adults are not available at any given time on a tree to successfully over take it. Seasonal changes in abundance, longevity, and dispersal of beetle populations may impact the effectiveness of the inhibitor-based treatment.

The southern pine beetle, Dendroctonus frontalis Zimmermann (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) is a major destructive pest of Pinus L. In the southeastern United States, numbers of this species and a major predator, Thanasimus dubius (Fabricius) (Coleoptera: Cleridae), captured during an annual springtime trapping survey are used to make forecasts of the likelihood and severity of an outbreak during the following summer. We investigated responses by both species to six lure formulations to evaluate their suitability for the survey and allow integration of historical data sets produced with differing lure compositions. Trapping trials were performed at four locations across three states (Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama) during spring, and at these and one additional location (North Carolina) in fall 2016. All lures included the pheromone component frontalin. Southern pine beetle preferred lures that additionally included the pheromone component endo-brevicomin and turpentine as a source of host odors (rather than a 7:3 mixture of monoterpenes alpha- and beta-pinene). Thanasimus dubius displayed little discrimination among lure compositions. Lure preferences by southern pine beetle did not differ significantly among locations in spring but were influenced by season. Gas chromatography (GC)-electroantennographic detection analyses with southern pine beetle and GC-mass spectrometry identified numerous known and potential semiochemicals that distinguished volatiles released by the tested host odor devices. The lure combination that included endo-brevicomin and alpha/beta-pinene is recommended for the trapping survey because of its high sensitivity for southern pine beetle and potential for greater data integrity resulting from its reproducible composition.

We evaluated the efficacy of the systemic insecticides dinotefuran, emamectin benzoate, fipronil, and imidacloprid for preventing attacks and brood production of southern pine engraver beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) and wood borers (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) on standing, stressed trees and bolt sections of loblolly pine, Pinus taeda L., in eastern Texas. Emamectin benzoate significantly reduced the colonization success of engraver beetles and associated wood borers in both stressed trees and pine bolt sections. Fipronil was nearly as effective as emamectin benzoate in reducing insect colonization of bolts 3 and 5 mo after injection but only moderately effective 1 mo after injection. Fipronil also significantly reduced bark beetle-caused mortality of stressed trees. Imidacloprid and dinotefuran were ineffective in preventing bark beetle and wood borer colonization of bolts or standing, stressed trees. The injected formulation of emamectin benzoate was found to cause long vertical lesions in the sapwood-phloem interface at each injection point.

Two new tactics for controlling southern pine beetle infestations use a beetle-produced inhibitor: verbenone. The techniques, verbenone-only and verbenone-plus-felling, reduce tree loss by disrupting infestation growth. In three years of field tests, the verbenone-only tactic completely suppressed 69 percent of the treated infestations, and the verbenone-plus-felling tactic suppressed 86 percent. The tactics provide much-needed alternatives to current control techniques and will allow suppression of infestations where tree felling is restricted or prohibited. In anticipation of registration of the pheromone by the Environmental Protection Agency, a technology transfer program has been developed to provide the materials and training necessary for effective use of the treatments.