Matsucoccus pini Green.From: Kolk A., Starzyk J. R., 1996: The Atlas of Forest Insect Pests Occurrence: The central, northern and eastern Europe, and the United Kingdom. In Poland it is widely distributed throughout the country. M. pini is the most common in the regions under the impact of industrial pollution. Host Plants: Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), some other pines, e.g. Swiss mountain pine (P. mugo). Morphology: Females are brown, wingless and mouthless, 2 cm long. Double segmented legs have tarsus ended with a claw. Antennae are about 0.6 mm long. Winged males are 3 times smaller than females. They have very well developed reproductive organs. Biology: They fly in June through July. Mating occurs in the midday. A female lays 200-250 oval eggs in cocoon. Later eggs are getting dark. Greenish larvae hatch one month later. They are 0.17-0.29 mm long. Larvae in all developmental stages suck on a phloem. Fresh or dry resin is visible in bark crevices. Round or oval larval skins of 0.3-0.5 mm in length are visible under bark scales after their removal. They are bright, brown with darker edges. They usually occur in groups. Elongated, irregular, brown spots are visible on a phloem and cambium. Damage: M. pini is considered one of primary causes of pine decline. This species belongs to the group of nagging insect pests. They cause damage of physiological type. Dense populations of M. pini can cause a death of trees. Preventive and control measures: Predators (insects and spiders) help to control populations of M. pini.
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Forest Pests: Insects, Diseases & Other Damage Agents |
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