LIFE CYCLE AND MORTALITY OF PISSODES TERMINALIS (COLEOPTERA: CURCULIONIDAE) IN LODGEPOLE PINE

Abstract

AbstractThe seasonal life history and mortality of the lodgepole terminal weevil, Pissodes terminalis Hopping (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), were investigated in young lodgepole pine, Pinus contorta Douglas var. latifolia Engelmann (Pinaceae), at three sites in west-central Alberta. Flight was monitored with traps. Development and mortality of all stages were investigated by dissecting infested leaders biweekly from late spring to early fall. Two years were required for P. terminalis to complete its life cycle, and generations overlapped. Overwintered adults emerged from the duff and commenced flight in late May, with a peak in mid-June. Eggs were present from mid-June to late July. There were four larval instars. The first two instars fed only in the phloem. Third and fourth larval instars eventually entered the pith to continue feeding, overwinter, and complete development the following spring. The new generation of adults emerged between mid-July and early August, fed on new shoots for several weeks, and overwintered in the duff. Adults have an obligatory diapause and did not reproduce until after winter. Fourth larval instars suffered the highest mortality. The major attributable cause of mortality was resinosis among eggs and young larvae and cold temperatures during the winter among mature larvae. Pathogens caused little mortality. Six species of parasitoids were collected.