Pest categorisation of non‐EU Monochamus spp.

Abstract

The Panel on Plant Health performed a pest categorisation of non‐EU Scolytinae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) of coniferous hosts (hereafter NESC). NESC occur worldwide, and some species are important forest pests. Species can be identified using taxonomic keys and molecular methods. Most NESC species (bark beetles) live in the inner bark of their hosts (phloem and cambium), while the remaining species mostly colonise the sapwood (ambrosia beetles). Bark‐ and ambrosia beetles are often associated with symbiotic fungi, which behave as pathogens towards the host trees, or are used as food by ambrosia beetle larvae. The larvae live in individual tunnels or in communal chambers. Pupation occurs in the wood or in the bark. Some species are semi‐ or multivoltine, others are monovoltine. Some species attack and kill living, apparently healthy trees. Other species specialise in weakened, dying or dead trees. The pathways for entry are cut branches, cones, round wood with or without bark, sawn wood with or without bark, wood packaging material, bark, manufactured wood items and wood chips and plants for planting (including seeds) of conifers. Availability of host plants and suitable climate would allow the establishment in the EU of NESC. Measures are in place to prevent their introduction through the pathways described above. NESC satisfy all the criteria to be considered as Union quarantine pests. As NESC are not present in the EU and plants for planting are not their major pathway for spread, they do not meet the criteria to be considered as regulated non‐quarantine pests.

Nematodes in the Pine Forests of Northern and Central Greece

“…The natural dispersal of B. xylophilus between host trees occurs primarily during the maturation feeding of Monochamus (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae) species. Even though the main vector of PWN in Europe is M. galloprovincialis [60], and this species occurs widely yet in low population levels in Greece [61], there is always the risk of accidentally introducing non-native sawyer beetles [62,63]. Besides M. galloprovinciallis in Europe and M. carolinensis Olivier 1792 in North America or M. alternatus Hope 1842 in East Asia, many other Monochamus species have been reported capable of carrying B. xylophilus [3,49,64].…”

Pest survey card on Bursaphelenchus xylophilus

“…Human-assisted spread of Bursaphelenchus xylophilus may occur via the movement of infested wood or by transport and subsequent planting of infested host plants, even though plants for planting are considered to be an unlikely pathway for non-EU Monochamus spp. (EFSA PLH Panel, 2018). The risk for establishment is especially high when trees or wood are infested with both the nematode and its vector.…”

“…The objective of this pest survey card is to provide the relevant biological information needed to prepare surveys for B. xylophilus in the EU Member States (EFSA PLH Panel, 2018). This document is part of a toolkit that is being developed to assist the Member States with planning a statistically sound and risk-based pest survey approach in line with International Plant Protection Convention guidelines for surveillance .…”

Pest survey card on non‐European Monochamus spp.

“…Instead, the maximum prevalence that a pest could have reached can be estimated, this is called the 'design prevalence'. That is, if no pest is found in a survey, the true prevalence is estimated to be somewhere between zero and the design prevalence (EFSA, 2018).…”

“…For the non-EU Monochamus spp. that occur in temperate regions of the world (particularly those present in northern Asia and North America, especially Canada) no constraints on climatic conditions are expected(Akbulut et al, 2017) and since suitable hosts are distributed across the EU territory, biotic and abiotic conditions are favourable for establishment(EFSA PLH Panel, 2018).Host trees of several Monochamus spp. are abundant throughout the EU, but the extent to which host availably limits the natural spread depends on the host preferences of the specific species involved.…”