ADULT FEEDING PREFERENCES OF THE LARGE PINE WEEVIL, HYLOBIUS-ABIETIS (COLEOPTERA, CURCULIONIDAE)

The adult feeding preferences of Hylobius abietis were tested at three temperatures, 10, 15 and 20-degrees-C, with three different host plants, Pinus sylvestris, Picea abies and Fraxinus excelsior, in simple paired choice tests. At all temperatures adult weevils showed a marked and significant preference for P. sylvestris over the other two host plants. F. excelsior was not a preferred host plant and there was some evidence to suggest that at higher temperatures, the presence of F. excelsior inhibited feeding. Adult weevils consumed up to five times as much food at 20-degrees-C than they did at 10-degrees-C, 252.9 mm2 of bark of P. sylvestris at 20-degrees-C compared to 47.8 mm2 at 10-degrees-C , 137.2 mm2 of P. abies bark at 20-degrees-C compared to 27.3 mm2 at 10-degrees-C and 24.6 mm2 of F. excelsior bark at 20-degrees-C compared 4.0 mm2 at 10-degrees-C. These results are discussed in relation to possible pest management strategies.