In the fir forest of Mount Parnis 67.67% of the overstorey trees were found infected by the mistletoe (
Viscum album). The “6-class” rating system was used to quantify the degree of tree infection. ...The most intensive mistletoe infection was observed on old age trees. Extensive tree mortality was observed during the years 2000–2002. Low precipitation in two consecutive years (2000–2001) was an important parameter that affected tree mortality. Fir trees were attacked by the bark beetles
Phaenops knoteki (Buprestidae) and
Pityokteines spinidens (Scolytidae). Mistletoe is an important factor that reduces tree vigour and predisposes trees to beetle attacks during periods of low precipitation. Tree mortality was correlated with the degree of mistletoe infection. During a 5-year-period (1998–2002), mortality of trees with heavy and medium mistletoe infection was 44.44%, while mortality of trees with light infection was 9.5% and that of the non-infected trees 4.66%.
The species composition and abundance of phoretic mites of the bark beetles Pityokteines curvidens, P. spinidens, and P. vorontzowi on Silver fir (Abies alba) were investigated in 2003 at two ...locations (Trakoscan and Litoric) in Croatia. Stem sections and branches from A. alba trees infested by Pityokteines ssp. were collected and incubated in rearing cages. Bark beetles emerging from the stem sections and branches were examined for phoretic mites. A total of ten mite species were documented for the first time as associates of Pityokteines spp. on A. alba. These included Dendrolaelaps quadrisetus, Ereynetes scutulis, Histiostoma piceae, Paraleius leontonychus, Pleuronectocelaeno japonica, Proctolaelaps hystricoides, Schizostethus simulatrix, Tarsonemus minimax, Trichouropoda lamellose, and Uroobovella ipidis. T. minimax was the most frequent phoretic mite of all the three scolytines and U. ipidis was also common, whereas, the other mite species occurred less frequently. The species spectrum and relative abundance of mite associates were similar for all three Pityokteines species. Another species, Pleuronectocelaeno barbara was commonly found phoretic on P. curvidens, captured in pheromone traps in 2005 at the location Litoric. Furthermore, two previously collected mite specimens from Switzerland, phoretic on P. curvidens, were identified as Nanacarus sp. and Bonomia sp. The records from Croatia and Switzerland in the present study increase the number of known mite associates of Pityokteines spp. from one previously documented species to 14 species. None of the phoretic mites found in the survey in Croatia appear to have the potential to be used for biological control of Pityokteines spp., although the feeding habits are unknown for many species recorded.
Obična jela je najvažnija četinjača hrvatskog šumarstva, ali i najugroženija vrsta čije se sušenje odvija periodički. Novija jača sušenja jele događaju se od 2003. godine, posebiceo u Lici i Gorskom ...kotaru. Registriran je velik broj sušaca i jak napad jelovih potkornjaka. Gradacija potkornjaka uglavnom je vezana uz tri vrste roda Pityokteines koji dolaze u Hrvatskoj: P.curvidens,P. spinidensiP. vorontzowi. Cilj rada bio je utvrditi koliki utjecaj na sušenje jele imaju potkornjaci roda Pityokteines. U tu svrhu su na Litoriću u Gorskom kotaru postavljene feromonske klopke za monitoring, koji se provodio kroz vegetacijske periode od 2004. do 2010. godine. Uz monitoring u 2007. godini ispitivana je djelotvornost nekoliko sustava klopki: standardne/suhe i modificirane/mokre. Za potrebe istraživanja korišten je feromonski pripravak Curviwit® koji služi za primamljivanje jedinki jelovog krivouzubog potkornjakaP. curvidens.
Kroz sedam godina monitoringa jelovih potkornjaka, jasno je utvrđena njihova povezanost sa količinom sušaca, pri čemu su najveći ulovi u kopkama utvrđeni između 2005. i 2007. godine. Tih je godina u šumama posječeno najviše sušaca jele. Većina ulova (94 %) kroz sve godine monitringa bila je u travnju i svibnju, te se zaključuje kako je klopke smisleno koristiti samo u tim mjesecima.
Testirane su modificirane Theysohn klopke kod kojih se tehničkom preinakom onemogućila odvodnja tekućine iz posudice za ulov kukaca. Usporedbom ulova potkornjaka sa standardnom Thysohn® klopkom, modificirane su znatno više lovile.
Na osnovi izračuna gustoće populacije potkornjakaP. spinidensiP. curvidensna uzorkovanoj kori, simuliran je biološki potencijal tih kukaca uz primjenu stope mortaliteta od 70 %, kao maksimalni mortalitet utvrđen u prethodnim istraživanjima. Na temelju toga pretpostavlja se da potkornjacima naseljeno devedesetogodišnje stablo jele izravno ugrožava 50-60 stabala u idućoj godini. Kako je biotički potencijal ovih vrsta potkornjaka izrazito visok, smisleno je u svrhu redukcije populacije uspostaviti monitoring sustav feromonskim klopkama, a na temelju dobivenih rezultata provoditi preventivne- sanitarne mjere zaštite šuma.
