Effectiveness of mass trapping in the reduction of Monochamus galloprovincialis Olivier (Col.: Cerambycidae) populations

Abstract

Monochamus galloprovincialis Olivier beetles vector the causal agent of pine wilt disease (PWD), nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus (Steiner and B€ uhrer) Nickle, in Europe. Traps and attractants have been optimized for the capture of M. galloprovincialis, increasing the possibility of developing methods of lowering its population in PWD-affected areas with the aim of either eradicating the disease or containing the spread of it. To evaluate the effectiveness of such mass-trapping campaigns, two sets of experiments were carried out in 2010 and 2013. The release of 353 laboratoryreared beetles in the experimental area of 2010 facilitated the evaluation of capture-mark-recapture (CMR) procedures in the calculation of population abundance estimates using the POPAN formulation of the Jolly-Seber model, a prerequisite for the assessment of mass trapping. Abundance estimates derived from best-fitting parameters fell within one standard error of the real figures, proving the method appropriate. In 2013, four trap densities were tested in six 36 ha plots. To evaluate the removed proportions, the local beetle population was estimated in a contiguous 260 ha study area. A superpopulation of 21 319 individuals could be calculated from the CMR data, corresponding to a rough density of 82 individuals per hectare. Evaluated trapping densities removed 4.66%, 20.50%, 33.33% and 59.80% of M. galloprovincialis population at 0.02, 0.11, 0.25 and 0.44 traps/ha, respectively, thus the estimated 95% removal would occur at 0.82 traps/ha. These results suggest that substantial reduction of M. galloprovincialis abundances might be achieved via mass trapping and that this represents a very promising management method for the containment or eventual eradication of B. xylophilus at the areas affected by the PWD.

Development of a pathway model to assess the exposure of European pine trees to pine wood nematode via the trade of wood

“…For abbreviations of country names see Appendix S1. Mass-trapping of the European vector M. galloprovincialis has been considered to reduce its populations, but the effectiveness of this measure is uncertain (Sanchez-Husillos et al 2015, Torres-Vila et al 2015. For example, the number of transfers around ports could be reduced up to 27% by selecting ports with lower host cover in the surroundings and maintaining storage conditions that reduce escape of the nematode.…”

How do sex and sexual maturation influence the response of Monochamus galloprovincialis to host odours?

“…) and especially M. galloprovincialis (Sanchez‐Husillos et al. ). This species is the insect vector of PWN in Europe since its introduction to Portugal (Robinet et al.…”

“…Using different groups of maturation and sex, our experiments highlight the difficulty to demonstrate the preponderance of one of the proposed stimuli for all the four groups tested. Very few experiments with long-lived insects have tested the response of different groups although they can be really important in line with potential mass trapping of the insect species (Cabrera Walsh et al 2014) and especially M. galloprovincialis (Sanchez-Husillos et al 2015). This species is the insect vector of PWN in Europe since its introduction to Portugal (Robinet et al 2011).…”

“…The question of the spatial dimension at which olfactory cues are prevalent remains controversial, but they seem to act mostly at local scale (Finch and Collier 2000;Giffard et al 2012), probably within a few metres from host plants (Aluja and Prokopy 1993). From an applied point of view, a better knowledge of plant traits involved in host recognition by insects is of interest for identifying resistant genotypes (Staudt et al 2010) or developing direct pest management methods such as mass trapping or push and pull strategies (Mauchline et al 2005;Cook et al 2007;Hassanali et al 2008;Sanchez-Husillos et al 2015).…”

PM 9/1 (6) Bursaphelenchus xylophilus and its vectors: procedures for official control

“…Upon detection of B. xylophilus in situations where pine wilt symptoms are likely to occur, in the initial tree(s) cutting debris, wood residues or dead trees in a country or region, official containment and eradication measures should be taken in the following sequence: 1) A minimum initial regulated area with a radius of at least 20 km ( Fig. 1) around the infested area should be established in which measures are taken to prevent spread (David et al, 2014;Sanchez-Husillos et al, 2015). These measures include prohibition of any movement of susceptible plant species, wood and bark that can be infested with B. xylophilus or its vectors unless effectively treated against B. xylophilus and its vectors.…”