Host plant selection and performance of ambrosia beetles in flood-stressed versus ethanol-injected trees provide implications for management strategies.

ABSTRACT: Ambrosia beetles (Curculionidae: Scolytinae and Platypodinae) are fungus-farming woodborers that can cause damage to the trees they colonize. Some of these beetles target stressed plants that emit ethanol, and management strategies have proposed using ethanol-injected trees as trap trees to monitor or divert dispersing adult females away from valuable crops. In this study, we used container-grown trees from 8 species to compare the effect of ethanol injection versus flooding on ambrosia beetle host selection and colonization success. Our aims were to understand whether ethanol injection is a suitable technique for different ambrosia beetle species and whether its effectiveness varies depending on the tree species used. In addition, we quantified the amount of ethanol in tree tissues to und

SUBMITTER: Cambronero-Heinrichs JC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11818378 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature