Attack dynamics of the pine shoot beetle, Tomicus piniperda (Col.; Scolytinae) in Scots pine stands defoliated by Bupalus piniaria (Lep.; Geometridae)

Abstract

1. After a 1-year, extensive pine looper (Bupalus piniaria) outbreak, plots were laid out to study tree susceptibility to attack, and performance of Tomicus piniperda in pine trees suffering from varying levels of defoliation. 2. Tomicus piniperda was the dominating stem-attacking species among the primary stem colonizers, and 82% of all trees that died had been colonized by T. piniperda. 3. Beetle attacks primarily struck severely defoliated trees, i.e. trees that suffered from 90% to 100% defoliation. 4. Beetle attacks peaked in the second year after cessation of the outbreak, and suppressed trees were both more frequently attacked and more susceptible to beetle attack than intermediate and dominant trees. 5. Trees surviving beetle attacks carried more foliage than trees that did not survive the attacks. 6. A single year of severe defoliation is enough to render pine trees susceptible to secondary pests, such as T. piniperda.