Comparison of Ips cembrae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) Capture Methods: Small Trap Trees Caught the Most Beetles

Ips cembrae is the most important bark beetle pest of larches and has had several local outbreaks in recent decades in Europe. In this study, we compared the numbers of I. cembrae captured by pyramid-trap piles, trap trees, pheromone traps, and poisoned and baited tripods. We also studied how the properties of trap trees and trap logs (volume, sun exposure, and position relative to the ground once deployed) affected the trapping of I. cembrae. We found that both sexes avoided infestation at the bottom of the logs and more than 15 times the number of beetles were captured by traditional trap trees than by pheromone traps or baited and insecticide-treated tripods. The number of I. cembrae per trap tree did not decrease with trap volume; therefore, it is appropriate to use traps of small dimensions. Baited tripods, pyramid-trap piles, and pheromone traps could be useful for detection of the beginning of flight activity, but trap trees are the most useful for reducing I. cembrae numbers.