Environmental Entomology (1998) 27, 268-276

Shawn T. Grushecky, Andrew M. Liebhold, Richard Greer and Robert Leo Smith (1998)
Does forest thinning affect predation on gypsy moth (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) larvae and pupae?
Environmental Entomology 27 (2), 268-276
Abstract: Predation on larvae and pupae of the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar (L.) was studied in a leading-edge population in West Virginia. In 8 thinned and 8 uncut stands, rates of survival of larvae and pupae were monitored in 3 types of exclosures placed at 3 heights in the forest strata. The abundance of small mammals was measured within each of these stands using pitfall traps. 37% of larvae and 25% of pupae were killed by predators over the 3 d of observations each year. Thinning did not influence the proportion of larvae or pupae killed. Survival of larvae and pupae on the ground was significantly lower than that found on tree holes or in the foliage. Differences in survival among exclosure types indicated that invertebrates were the major predators of larvae, and small mammals were the major predators of pupae.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Database assignments for author(s): Andrew M. Liebhold

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
environment - cropping system/rotation
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
environment/habitat manipulation
population dynamics/epizootiology

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Lymantria dispar		U.S.A. (NE)