Thursday, November 19, 2015

Walnut Twig Beetle Update

 We were back in Knoxville, TN a few weeks ago looking for walnut twig beetles and their galleries in our small bolt assays.  These were bolts treated with 3 different entomopathogenic fungi and 1 untreated control.  We carefully peeled the bark off the bolts in order to reveal beetle galleries, if any were present.

Robert Camp working on peeling a small bolt.

A small bolt peeled and ready for inspection.

Once the bark has been peeled, it is ready for inspection under a microscope.  If beetles are present, they are counted and their galleries are measured using a map ruler to quantify distance.

Michael and John counting beetles under the scope.

A beetle gallery and larvae.

Can you see the WTB larvae under the red mark?

A WTB larvae inside a gallery.

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Sirex Trapping Survey Update

Well, we wrapped up our trap construction and initial collections for Sirex spp. in white pine stands.  And we finally caught some wasps!

Urocerus cressoni collected from one of our Cold Mountain traps.

Sirex nigricornus collectedfrom one of our Dupont S.F. traps.

We made our final collections from funnel traps during the last week of October.  The traps attracted everything from bark beetles to grasshoppers to woodwasps, but it was the bears that made the most significant impact.

Teeth marks most likely from a bear snooping around our traps.

 Evidence of a large mammal disturbing a trap at Cold Mountain.

Our lincoln log stacks will remain in the forest until summer.  We will retrieve them and rear out whatever critters have decided to colonize the trap.