Sirex noctilio
exotic siricid survey
In its native range, Sirex noctilio attacks pines almost exclusively, e.g., Scotch (Pinus sylvestris), Austrian (P. nigra), and maritime (P. pinaster) pines. This woodwasp was introduced inadvertently into New Zealand, Australia, Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and South Africa. In these Southern Hemisphere countries, Sirex woodwasp attacks exotic pine plantations, and it has caused up to 80 percent tree mortality. Most of the plantations are planted with North American pine species.
Recent detections of siricids outside of port areas in the United States have raised concerns because these insects have the potential to cause significant mortality of pines. Awareness of the symptoms and signs of a siricid infestation increases the chance of early detection, and thus, the rapid response needed to contain and manage this exotic forest pest.
Another siricid of concern, Urocerus gigas gigas, has become established in Argentina and Chile where it infests Monterey pine, Pinus radiata (Klasmer n.d., USDA Forest Service 1993). Exotic subspecies of this insect would find suitable climatic conditions if introduced into North America and should be able to adapt to a number of North American conifers. However, they might have difficulty competing with the large complex of indigenous wood boring insects already present in North America.
This trapping program will pinpoint potential problems so they may be quickly eradicated before they become infestations that require the expenditure of large amounts of time and money to eradicate. Siricid surveys and monitoring in this state will safeguard Kentucky’s native pines and commercial Christmas tree plantations.
We will set out traps in northern Kentucky from May to early June and remove traps from the field by the end of September. We plan to use IPM Tech intercept panel traps. As recommended, we will use lures consisting of (75% + enantiomer)-alpha-pinene (70%) and beta-pinene (30%). We will put out 6 traps at barge ports or pallet yards along the Ohio River. We will also identify and sample from 4 pine stands along the Ohio River in northern Kentucky. Trap collections will be made once every two weeks. Taxonomic support for this survey will be provided by the Department of Entomology at the University of Kentucky.
