The relationships between Pityogenes chalcographus and Nemosoma elongatum in clear-cuts with different types of management

Abstract

Pityogenes chalcographus (Linnaeus, 1758) is a significant pest of young spruce stands up to the age of about 20 years. Predation can be a significant part of decreasing its population density. The aim of the research was to determine the relationships between captured P. chalcographus and its major predator Nemosoma elongatum (Linnaeus, 1761). The research was conducted in 2006 and 2007 in five areas with the following conditions: two clear-cuts covered with freely distributed brushwood, two clear-cuts which had no brushwood remaining and the last locality was an older (more than two years older) clear-cut with no brushwood. The catches from the pheromone baited traps used to lure P. chalcographus showed a strong positive correlation between P. chalcographus and N. elongatum. Furthermore, comparisons were drawn between the N. elongatum catches from each clear-cut. The differences in the proportions of the predator N. elongatum to the trapped P. chalcographus were identified between the types of clear-cuts with the highest proportion of trapped N. elongatum in the clear-cuts with the brushwood and the lowest proportion in the clear-cuts with the removed brushwood.

Keywords

• predator
• spruce
• brushwood
• forest protection
• control
• flight curve