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The article discusses the success of verbenone against the mountain pine beetle in Lac le Jeune, British Columbia. It mentions that it is the first operational success of verbenone as part of an integrated pest management (IPM), which compose of four components including assessment of the problem, disposal of infested trees, application of verbenone, and reassessment of the problem. It suggests that verbenone is a useful treatment tool if it used as a part of an IPM program.

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1 Fecundity, egg hatch and nymphal survivorship ofLeptoglossus occidentalisHeidemann were determined and used to develop a damage prediction formula for seed bugs in lodgepole pine seed orchards.2 A single overwinteredL. occidentalisfemale may lay up to 80 eggs during early and mid-season cone development.3 Up to 83.4% of eggs that were attached to branches with tape hatched successfully, compared with 53.5% of eggs attached to needles with wire. Egg parasitism was only observed in egg masses attached with wire.4 Egg masses attached with wire suffered approximately 30% mortality from parasitism, primarily byGryon pennsylvanicum(Ashmead).5 Approximately 15.1 and 2.5% of first instars survived to adulthood in 2000 and 2001, respectively. Survival of caged nymphs that were protected from predators was 14.5 and 17.8%, respectively.6 A composite survival table indicated that 9.3% of eggs laid byL. occidentalisare expected to survive to adulthood.7 Based on previously determined damage estimates for each life stage of feeding during three periods of cone development, a hypothetical density of one seed bug per tree early in the season will result in an expected seed loss of approximately 310 seeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We evaluated the anti-aggregation pheromone verbenone at low and high doses alone and with a seven-component repellent blend of nonhost angiosperm bark volatiles (NHVs) for their ability to deter attack by the mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins. Release devices containing antiaggregants were deployed at 16 points on a 10-m grid in 40 × 40-m plots near Williams Lake, B.C. in June 2001. In 10 control plots with no antiaggregants, single pheromone-baited trees, at the plot centre were all mass-attacked by the mountain pine beetle by early October, as were 26.6% of the 432 lodgepole pines within the boundaries of the plots. In contrast, in plots treated with a high dose of verbenone plus NHVs, two of the central, pheromone-baited trees escaped any attack whatsoever, four of 10 plots had no surrounding trees attacked and only 2.1% of the total of 523 surrounding trees were mass-attacked. Density of attacked and mass-attacked trees was highest within 5 m of the central baited tree in all treatments, indicating that those beetles that breached the antiaggregant grid were then drawn toward the baited tree. Operational efficacy should thus be improved in the absence of baited trees within a treated area. We conclude that high-dose verbenone plus NHV treatments could be implemented operationally as a minor component of an integrated pest management strategy for large infestations, particularly in a push-pull tactic in which beetles are pushed from one area by the antiaggregant treatment and drawn into another with attractive baits. However, the principal use would be in the short-term protection of small, high-value stands or stands of high ecological or social value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We measured the impact of Leptoglossus occidentalis on seed production in lodgepole pine, Pinus contorta variety latifolia Engelmann, using an antibody marker developed to detect residual saliva in fed-on seeds. Nymphs, adult females, and adult males were caged on cones during early, mid- and late season cone development. Individual analysis of 12,887 seeds extracted from 365 cones revealed that 37.3% seeds tested positive for seed bug saliva. The antibody assay was 38 times more effective than radiography at detecting seed bug damage. Radiography can detect partially emptied seed but cannot discriminate between aborted seeds and those emptied by seed bugs. The antibody marker was least sensitive in detecting early season damage compared with mid- and late season damage. We hypothesize that residual saliva in seeds fed on early in the season was either absorbed by the damaged seed or degraded over time. Early season feeding resulted in the greatest number of seeds fused to cone scales and the extraction efficiency for cones exposed to feeding during this time was reduced by 64% compared with control cones. Adding fused seeds to antibody-positive seeds raised the proportion of damaged seeds to 48.3%. At all stages of cone development, adult females were the most destructive life stage, damaging up to two seeds per day late in the season. When seed losses were adjusted to damage per degree-day, female damage was greatest early in the season, while males caused the same amount of damage regardless of cone development period. The results of the antibody assay provide baseline data for developing damage prediction formulae, and establish L. occidentalis as a potentially serious pest in lodgepole pine seed orchards. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Radiography is a valuable tool for assessing quality of conifer seeds, but it cannot differentiate between aborted seeds and seeds that have been emptied by western conifer seed bug (Leptoglossus occidentalis Heidemann) feeding. We tested three biochemical marker-based assays that were developed to identify L. occidentalis damage to seeds of Douglas-fir, Pseudostuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco, for their use in lodgepole pine, Pinus contorta var. latifolia Engelmann. The three assays included measurement of storage protein reserve depletion, immunodetection of fragments of insoluble (crystalloid) storage proteins, and immunodetection of L. occidentalis salivary proteins. Aborted seeds contained significantly less soluble and insoluble protein than seeds that were fed on by L. occidentalis. Polyclonal antibodies raised against 11S globulin crystalloid proteins or L.occidentalis salivary gland extracts only immunoreacted with proteins in seeds exposed to L. occidentalis feeding. In a single-blind test, antibody raised against salivary-gland extracts correctly distinguished between undamaged full seeds, unfilled aborted seeds, and seeds fed on by L. occidentalis. Immunodetection of L. occidentalis salivary proteins was also performed on seeds of Abies amabilis Dougl. ex J. Forbes, Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.,Picea sitchensis Bong (Carr.), Pinus ponderosa Lawson, and Pinus monticola Dougl. ex D. Don. For all species, immunoreactive polypeptides were only detected in seeds fed on by L.occidentalis. These biochemical marker-based techniques could help researchers and seed orchard managers estimate seed losses caused by L. occidentalis in commercial seed orchards and natural forest stands.Key words: Leptoglossus occidentalis, saliva, biochemical markers, polyclonal antibody, immunodetection, Pinus contorta.La radiographie est utile pour évaluer la qualité des semences de conifères, mais elle ne permet pas de discerner les graines avortées des graines évidées par le charançon des graines des conifères de l'ouest, le Leptoglossus occidentalis Heidemann. Les auteurs ont examiné trois tests basés sur des marqueurs biochimiques qui ont été développés pour identifier les dommages du L. leptoglossus dans les graines du sapin Douglas, Pseudotsuga menziezii (Mirb.) Franco, en les appliquant au pin lodgepole, Pinus contorta var. latifolia Engelmann. Les trois tests incluent la mesure de l'épuisement des protéines de réserve, l'immunodétection de fragments insolubles de protéines de réserve (cristalloïdes) et l'immunodétection de protéines salivaires du L. occidentalis. Les graines avortées contiennent significativement moins de protéines solubles et insolubles que les graines dans lesquelles le L. occidentalis s'est nourri. Les anticorps polyclonaux développés contre la 11S globuline des protéines cristalloïdes ou contre des extraits de glandes salivaires du L. occidentalis immunoréagissent avec les protéines dans les graines évidées par le L. occidentalis. Dans un simple test à l'aveugle, l'anticorps formé contre les extraits de protéines salivaires du L. occidentalis a permis d'identifier des graines, qu'elles soient pleines et non-endommagées, avortées ou évidées par le L. occidentalis. Les auteurs ont également appliqué l'immunodétection des protéines salivaires du L. occidentalis aux graines des Abies amabilis Dougl. ex J. Forbes, Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg., Picea sitchensis Bong (Carr.), Pinus ponderosa Lawson et P. monticola Dougl. ex D. Don. Chez toutes ces espèces on ne détecte les polypeptides immunoréactifs que chez les graines évidées par le L. occidentalis. Ces techniques basées sur des marqueurs biochimiques pourraient aider les chercheurs et les responsables de vergers à graines à évaluer les pertes de graines dues au L. occidentalis dans les vergers à graines commerciaux et les peuplements forestiers naturels.Mots clés : Leptoglossus occidentalis, salive, marqueurs biochimiques, anticorps polyclonaux, immunodétection, Pinus contorta.[Traduit par Rédaction] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent research suggests that mountain pine beetles, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins, may be controlled on pine using systemic applications of extracts from seeds of the neem tree, Azadirachta indica A. Jussieu. We investigated the extent of translocation of neem extracts inthe bole of lodgepole pines, Pinus contora variety latifolia Engelmann. Because attacks by D. ponderosae do not always occur high on the bole of standing trees, the pine engraver, Ips pini Say, was used as an indicator species. A proprietary emulsifiable concentrate formulation of neem seed extract containing 20,000 ppm azadirachtin was applied into a basal axe frill around the root collar of lodgepole pines. After 1 wk the trees were felled and the logs were baited at 3, 9, and 15 m from the base with the pheromone ispdienol to induce attack byI. pini. Six weeks later, bolts were removed from the trees at the bait positions and held for a further 16 wk in rearing. At 3 and 9 m from the base, populations of I. pini (emerged and remaining under thebark) were significantly reduced by 87 and 77%, respectively, indicating that the active ingredients translocated at least 9 m up the bole and persisted for at least 6 wk. Numbers of emergence holes also were significantly reduced by 89, 88, and 63% at 3, 9, and 15 m, suggesting that the translocation extended beyond 9 m. Neem treatment had no impact on gallery construction and attack density, but significantly reduced the number of progeny per egg gallery. Unlike the currentlyused systemic arsenical, neem extracts would pose no toxicity to vertebrates and would have a short residual activity in the environment.There would be little chance of resistance developing because of neem's multiple modes of action and the fact that very few infested trees in a given year would ever be treated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eighteen monoterpenes found in bole and foliage volatiles of four sympatric species of conifers, Douglas-fir, Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco, lodgepole pine, Pinus contorta var. latifolia Engelm., interior spruce, Picea engelmannii×glauca, and interior fir, Abies lasiocarpa×bifolia, in three locations in British Columbia, Canada, were analysed for quantitative variation (N=10 trees per sample) using standard and chiral gas chromatography. There was significant variation in monoterpene composition between bole and foliage in all four species. Principal components analysis revealed that the monoterpene profile of coastal Douglas-fir was significantly different from trees in the interior, supporting the hypothesis that coastal and interior populations represent distinct chemotypes. Although the four species did not differ qualitatively, there were significant differences in their quantitative monoterpene profiles in both bole and foliage. These differences were large enough to suggest that host selection by four species of coniferophagous bark beetles (Coleoptera: Scolytidae), specific to each of the above tree species, may depend in part on perception of, and behavioural response to quantitatively distinct blends of monoterpenes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]