Rearing the Pine Sawyer Monochamus galloprovincialis (Olivier, 1795) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) on Artificial Diets

Abstract

The pine sawyer Monochamus galloprovincialis (Olivier, 1795) is the vector of the introduced pine wood nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus (Steiner and Buhrer, 1934) in Portugal, and until recently was considered a secondary insect pest. In this study eight artificial diets were tested with the purpose of rearing this insect under laboratory conditions with reduced costs and high efficiency. Tested diets included various artificial mediums commercially available for other insects and mediums based on dried or fresh pine phloem. Among the eight tested variations, diet #5 was the most efficient with 80% eclosions of adult beetles, while diet #6 allowed the fastest development, with the first adult emerging within 53 days. The best rearing method, the diet ingredients and the prices of the diets are discussed, resulting in a list of essential ingredients for the artificial rearing of the pine sawyer.