The pales weevil, Hylobius pales (Herbst), and the deodar weevil, Piss odes
nemorensis Germar, are regeneration pests of pine plantations in the eastern
United States. Attempts to sample regeneration weevils in Virginia have met
with little success. Two trap types were field tested to determine their
effectiveness in sampling H. pales and P. nemorensis populations in Virginia
Christmas tree plantations. Labor intensive pit traps, using natural host
materials and synthetic volatiles, caught significantly more weevils than PVC
pitfall traps baited with synthetic volatiles alone. No differences in trap catches
were observed between stationary and rotated traps. Vegetation management
had no effect on trap catch. However, it was observed that newly planted white
pine seedlings (Pinus strobus L.) were fed upon by H. pales at Significantly
higher rates in plots not managed for competing vegetation than in herbicide
treated plots. Feeding activity in mowed plots was intermediate. Trap catch
did not correlate with seedling damage within or among sampling periods, or between years. The seasonal activity of both species is reviewed in detail.
Mark-and-recapture techniques used to assess trap efficacy showed traps baited
with pine material were most effective, irrespective of trap type. The response
of H. pales adults to different ethanol-and-turpentine ratios in a laboratory
bioassay did not vary with respect to gender or age. No gender differences in
response to treatments were observed in these studies.
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