Article
Forestry
Marion E. Caduff, Natalie Brozova, Andrea D. Kupferschmid, Frank Krumm, Peter Bebi
Summary: Large-scale bark beetle outbreaks have major effects on forest structure and services, with their impact on avalanche protection capacity being underestimated in post-disturbance forest stands. Despite initial decrease in protection, forest regeneration led to recovery of protective capacity against avalanches over time.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Forestry
S. Karvemo, L. Huo, P. Ohrn, E. Lindberg, H. J. Persson
Summary: In recent decades, Norway spruce forests in Europe have suffered from large-scale tree mortality caused by the spruce bark beetle, which is influenced by storm-felling events and periods of drought due to climate change. This study compared the infestation patterns and configuration of the bark beetles after a storm and a drought in southern Sweden, finding differences in infestation occurrence and size related to forest structures and climate. The study highlights the importance of understanding the drivers behind bark beetle infestations triggered by different factors to develop more accurate outbreak predictions.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Forestry
N. Vosvrdova, A. Johansson, M. Turcani, R. Jakus, D. Tyser, F. Schlyter, R. Modlinger
Summary: One of the most promising techniques for rapid detection of bark beetle-infested trees is the use of specially trained dogs. In a study comparing dogs with human bark beetle specialists, dog-handler pairs were overall more successful in detecting infested trees. The use of dogs for detection can significantly extend the window of time for prompt removal of infested trees.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Muhammad Zubair Ashraf, Kanakachari Mogilicherla, Gothandapani Sellamuthu, Valentina Siino, Fredrik Levander, Amit Roy
Summary: This study used comparative proteomics to investigate the digestion and detoxification processes in male and female I. typographus during their callow and sclerotized stages. The differential abundance proteins identified were mainly involved in binding, catalytic activity, anatomical activity, hydrolase activity, metabolic process, and carbohydrate metabolism, which are crucial for growth, digestion, detoxification, and signalling in the beetles. Furthermore, different protein regulation patterns were observed in metabolic and functional processes between the developmental stages of I. typographus.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Agnieszka Kaminska, Maciej Lisiewicz, Bartlomiej Kraszewski, Krzysztof Sterenczak
Summary: The spruce bark beetle infestation in the Polish part of the Bialowieza Forest is considered the largest in history, nearly eliminating Norway spruce as a major forest tree species. Host and environmental factors influenced the timing of spruce mortality, with the dynamics varying across the study area under the unprecedented outbreak of I. typographus.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Review
Forestry
Nana R. Pirtskhalava-Karpova, Aleksandr A. Karpov, Evgeniy E. Kozlovski, Mikhail Yu Grishchenko
Summary: The outbreaks of Ips typographus caused by natural disasters in Central Europe, Siberia, and the Far East have been extensively studied. Molecular methods were used to analyze species relationships and origins, revealing the beetles disperse within 500m and new attacks often occur near old foci.
LESNOY ZHURNAL-FORESTRY JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Rudolf Brazdil, Petr Zahradnik, Peter Szabo, Katerina Chroma, Petr Dobrovolny, Lukas Dolak, Miroslav Trnka, Jan Rehor, Silvie Suchankova
Summary: Based on documentary evidence, this study provides a chronology of bark beetle outbreaks in the Czech Republic from 1781 to 1963 CE. The analysis continues through 2021 using bark beetle salvage data. The study finds that the outbreaks are concentrated in the border mountains of Bohemia and the northern parts of Moravia and Silesia. The most significant outbreaks occurred in the 19th century, with notable events in the 1830s, 1870s, 1940s-1950s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s. The study also highlights the impact of meteorological and climatological patterns on these outbreaks, with recent warming and stable precipitation playing a significant role.
CLIMATE OF THE PAST
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Vojtech Sotola, Jaroslav Holusa, Karel Kuzelka, Emanuel Kula
Summary: The study found that trap trees with a pheromone evaporator can be used to capture Ips duplicatus, especially in forests containing high numbers of the beetles.
Article
Forestry
Maarten de Groot, Nikica Ogris
Summary: This study developed a predictive model for the sanitary felling of Norway spruce due to bark beetles. The model identified various factors that are correlated with sanitary felling and can be used to predict the future occurrence. A combination of occurrence model and quantitative model was used to perform a prediction for the next year.
Article
Forestry
Aurora Bozzini, Saverio Francini, Gherardo Chirici, Andrea Battisti, Massimo Faccoli
Summary: Extreme weather events are causing an increase in forest-pest outbreaks, with a windthrow event in 2018 in the southern Italian Alps causing a shift in populations of the European spruce bark beetle. This study used remote sensing techniques and a random forest model to detect outbreak spots in the southeast Alps. The model achieved an overall accuracy of 72% in 2022 and 58% in 2021, demonstrating the potential to locate even small outbreak areas or areas with mixed healthy and infested trees.
Article
Forestry
Cihan Cilbircioglu, Marta Kovac, Milan Pernek
Summary: Research in the Black Sea Mountains of Turkey found 9 different species of phoretic mites on bark beetles collected from dead wood and tree bark of Black Pine, Scotch Pine, and Norway Spruce. These mites, including Dendrolaelaps quadrisetus and Proctolaelaps hystricoides, were identified for the first time within the Turkish fauna.
Article
Forestry
Agata Zakrzewska, Dominik Kopec
Summary: This study develops an automatic workflow for detecting dead trees and trees in poor condition of Picea abies using Middle Wave Infrared spectral range obtained from the aircraft. By analyzing temperature data, different health conditions of trees can be accurately distinguished. The results confirm the effectiveness of fusing thermal and laser scanning data.
Article
Forestry
Marco Pezzi, Francesco Carlomagno, Federica Mendicino, Domenico Bonelli, Rocco Pelle, Marilena Leis, Milvia Chicca, Teresa Bonacci
Summary: Pycnomerus italicus, an endemic and endangered saproxylic beetle in Italy, was found in Riserva Naturale Biogenetica Marchesale during a survey in 2021. This discovery highlights the potential significance of this reserve and other humid forest environments in Southern Italy as refuges for endangered saproxylic beetles.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Timothy Thrippleton, Christian Temperli, Frank Krumm, Reinhard Mey, Juergen Zell, Sophie Stroheker, Martin M. Gossner, Peter Bebi, Esther Thuerig, Janine Schweier
Summary: Climate change severely affects mountain forests and their ecosystem services. Increasing timber harvest via a close-to-nature forestry may reduce disturbance predisposition, but its efficiency and potential trade-offs with biodiversity and ecosystem services are not well understood. In this study, a decision support system was used to evaluate the effect of different harvest intensities and climate change scenarios on windthrow and bark beetle predisposition in a mountain forest enterprise in Switzerland. The results showed that the timber harvest strategy reduced disturbance predisposition, but the mitigation potential for bark beetle disturbance was small compared to the effect of climate change. Additionally, the strategy had trade-offs with carbon sequestration and protection function, but synergies with recreation and timber production.
REGIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Alexandre Kuhn, Louis Hautier, Gilles San Martin
Summary: This study investigated the effectiveness of pheromone trapping during a severe outbreak, and found no evidence supporting its use in reducing economic losses when combined with sanitation felling. The use of baited crosstraps may even increase the occurrence of new attacks.
Article
Entomology
Davide Rassati, Matteo Marchioro, Leah Flaherty, Riccardo Poloni, Sara Edwards, Massimo Faccoli, Jon Sweeney
Summary: Longhorn beetles are significant invasive forest insects and widely studied in terms of chemical ecology. Research shows that the response to pheromone components is mostly species-specific, but in Italy, multiple species can be caught simultaneously with the combination of pheromones. The study provides insight into longhorn beetle chemical ecology and supports the role of pheromones in invasive success.
Article
Entomology
Giacomo Cavaletto, Massimo Faccoli, Lorenzo Marini, Johannes Spaethe, Filippo Giannone, Simone Moino, Davide Rassati
Summary: The study conducted in northern Italy revealed that yellow and blue traps captured a significantly higher number of longhorn beetle species compared to black traps. Trap color also had a significant impact on species richness and abundance, with flower-visiting species being attracted to flower-related colors and non-flower-visiting species preferring dark colors.
JOURNAL OF PEST SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Entomology
Giacomo Cavaletto, Massimo Faccoli, Christopher M. Ranger, Davide Rassati
Summary: The study reveals that ethanol emitted by stressed trees affects host selection and colonization behavior of ambrosia beetles, with different beetle species showing preferences for different ethanol concentrations. Additionally, the host tree species also influences the activity of ambrosia beetles, suggesting that ethanol concentration and host tree species may play a role in ecological niche partitioning among these beetle species.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ENTOMOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Entomology
Matteo Marchioro, Massimo Faccoli
Summary: The Walnut Twig Beetle (WTB) and the pathogen causing thousand cankers disease (TCD) pose serious threats to walnut orchards in Europe. Factors affecting WTB dispersal were analyzed using a model developed from 8 years of monitoring data, which also allows for assessing the colonization risk of specific walnut orchards.
JOURNAL OF PEST SCIENCE
(2022)
Review
Entomology
Sofia Branco, Massimo Faccoli, Eckehard G. Brockerhoff, Geraldine Roux, Herve Jactel, Nicolas Desneux, Emmanuel Gachet, Raphaelle Mouttet, Jean-Claude Streito, Manuela Branco
Summary: Efforts have been made to prevent Asian longhorn beetles from causing harm to forest and urban trees, with over 45% of eradication programmes successful in the last 12 years. Despite the high costs of eradication programs, the benefits outweigh the costs. Eradication efforts for Anoplophora chinensis are more challenging compared to Anoplophora glabripennis.
JOURNAL OF PEST SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Entomology
Matteo Marchioro, Alessandro Bianchi, Mariangela Ciampitti, Massimo Faccoli
Summary: This study conducted an extensive trapping experiment to evaluate the effectiveness of trap model, trap position, and lure type for controlling the Citrus Longhorn Beetle. The results showed that the use of Econex cross-vane traps with Synergy blend, deployed on the canopy of host trees, was the most effective protocol.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ENTOMOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Entomology
Enrico Ruzzier, Stefan Cristian Prazaru, Massimo Faccoli, Carlo Duso
Summary: The invasive ambrosia beetle Xylosandrus germanus is recorded for the first time infesting wine grapes in Italy, with the possible causes of the infestation discussed due to the continuously increasing number of alien wood-borer beetles. An updated world checklist of Scolytinae attacking Vitaceae, particularly Vitis sp., is provided and discussed.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Claude Bragard, Paula Baptista, Elisavet Chatzivassiliou, Francesco Di Serio, Josep Anton Jaques Miret, Annemarie Fejer Justesen, Alan MacLeod, Christer Sven Magnusson, Panagiotis Milonas, Juan A. Navas-Cortes, Stephen Parnell, Roel Potting, Philippe Lucien Reignault, Emilio Stefani, Hans-Hermann Thulke, Wopke Van der Werf, Antonio Vicent Civera, Jonathan Yuen, Lucia Zappala, Andrea Battisti, Hugo Mas, Daniel Rigling, Massimo Faccoli, Giovanni Iacopetti, Alzbeta Mikulova, Olaf Mosbach-Schulz, Fabio Stergulc, Paolo Gonthier
Summary: The European Commission requested the EFSA to assess the risk posed by bonsai plants from China to the plant health in the EU. The evaluation revealed that there is a certain level of risk associated with some pests, and corresponding risk mitigation measures were proposed. For other pests, the requirements for preventing their introduction were met.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Gimena Vilardo, Massimo Faccoli, Juan C. Corley, M. Victoria Lantschner
Summary: Assisted by global trade, alien insect species are being introduced to new territories at unprecedented rates. This study investigates the native and invaded distribution of 51 European bark beetles in Pinus species, analyzing their invasion history and explaining factors such as propagule pressure, invasibility, and invasiveness as important determinants of invasion success.
BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS
(2022)
Article
Entomology
Davide Scaccini, Davide Bramuzzo, Cengiz Bostanci, Massimo Faccoli, Isabel Martinez-Sanudo, Alexey Matov, Alberto Zilli, Alberto Pozzebon
Summary: The Asian walnut moth (Garella musculana) was found for the first time in NE Italy in 2021, marking its first record in the country and Western Europe. The species was identified based on morphology and genetic analysis, but further research is needed to clarify its classification due to similarities with other taxa. Resolving this issue is crucial for the identification and proper management of walnut moths.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ENTOMOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Zoology
Livio Mola, Enrico Ruzzier, Claudio Deiaco, Mauro Agosti, Massimo Faccoli, Jan Matejicek, Laura Farina, Luciano Diotti, Francesca Della Rocca
Summary: The Po Plain in Northern Italy is highly urbanized, but still contains fragmented oak-hornbeam forests, which serve as important refuges for both sedentary and migratory species. This paper presents a preliminary list of beetle species inhabiting the Monte Netto Regional Park, identified through 10 years of field surveys and various sampling techniques. A total of 834 species were identified, including non-native species and endangered species on the Red List. This survey highlights the conservation value of Monte Netto and the naturalness of its remaining forest patches.
Article
Forestry
Aurora Bozzini, Saverio Francini, Gherardo Chirici, Andrea Battisti, Massimo Faccoli
Summary: Extreme weather events are causing an increase in forest-pest outbreaks, with a windthrow event in 2018 in the southern Italian Alps causing a shift in populations of the European spruce bark beetle. This study used remote sensing techniques and a random forest model to detect outbreak spots in the southeast Alps. The model achieved an overall accuracy of 72% in 2022 and 58% in 2021, demonstrating the potential to locate even small outbreak areas or areas with mixed healthy and infested trees.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Enrico Ruzzier, Giacomo Ortis, Davide Vallotto, Massimo Faccoli, Isabel Martinez-Sanudo, Matteo Marchioro
Summary: Xyleborini is the largest tribe of Scolytinae with about 1300 species worldwide, all of which are primarily xylomycetophagous and develop on symbiotic fungi in plant woody tissues. The wood-boring action of Xyleborini, combined with the inoculation of symbiotic fungi, can cause host plant dieback, wood damage, and death, making many Xyleborini major pests on various trees. Importation of host plants is often a primary pathway for introducing and establishing Xyleborini species in non-native environments, and efforts are being made to manage their invasive potential. However, a lack of data on Xyleborini host plants hinders the development of effective detection and monitoring strategies and risk assessment for plant pests and invasive species. This study provides updated host records and economic categorization for the 1293 known Xyleborini species worldwide.
Article
Entomology
Luca Deganutti, Filippo Biscontin, Iris Bernardinelli, Massimo Faccoli
Summary: This study investigated the large-scale use of a semiochemical push-and-pull strategy to protect vulnerable Norway spruce edge trees from the European spruce bark beetle after a windthrow disturbance. The results showed that the push-and-pull technique was effective in reducing damage to forest edges in high-risk areas. However, its effectiveness was limited in clear-cut areas, where it did not significantly reduce the number of infested trees along the forest edge.
AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST ENTOMOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Entomology
Matteo Marchioro, Massimo Faccoli
Summary: The number of introductions of alien insect species has been on the rise in recent decades, primarily due to transportation in shipping containers. Experiments conducted on four different insect species in a shipping container showed that light color influenced their attraction to traps, with different insects showing preferences for white, ultraviolet, and red light. The results suggest that sticky light traps could be effective against hitchhiker insects, with the potential for further improvement through the use of different light colors simultaneously.
JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY
(2021)
