Pine Sawyer Beetle

Monochamus galloprovincialis

1. Identification

• Common name: Pine sawyer beetle
• Scientific name: Monochamus galloprovincialis Olivier
• Order: Coleoptera
• Family: Cerambycidae
• Phytosanitary status: vector of a quarantine pest [Bursaphelenchus xylophilus (Steiner & Bührer) Nickle], subject to official control measures in the EU.

2. Pest description

• Adults: beetles of 10–28 mm; dark brown to black body, with light markings; very long antennae.
• Larvae: legless, cream, excavate deep galleries in the xylem.
• Pupae: form inside the galleries.
• Eggs: laid in incisions in the bark of weakened trees.

3. Main hosts

• Pines (Pinus spp.), especially P. pinaster, P. pinea, P. sylvestris, P. nigra.
• Other conifers may be occasionally affected.
• Preference for weakened, burnt or recently felled trees.

4. Symptoms and damage

• Oval perforations in the bark.
• Exudation of sawdust.
• Extensive galleries in the xylem.
• Decline of the canopy, yellowing and drop of needles.
• Death of the tree in severe attacks.
• Critical importance: proven vector of the pine wood nematode (B. xylophilus), a priority quarantine pest in the EU.

5. Biological cycle

• One generation per year; in cold climates it may extend over two years.
• Eggs in summer; larvae penetrate the wood.
• Pupation in spring.
• Adults emerge between June and September.
• Overwintering as a larva.

6. Monitoring

• Observation of fresh sawdust and emergence holes.
• Inspection of burnt, felled or weakened trees.
• Specific traps with pheromones and kairomones (e.g.: α-pinene).
• Essential monitoring in areas with the presence or risk of B. xylophilus.

7. Management measures

• Cultural: removal and destruction of infested wood; debarking of logs; management of forest residues; avoiding prolonged storage of pine wood.
• Biological: parasitoids and entomopathogens under research.
• Integrated protection: rigorous monitoring; early intervention; traps for detection and population reduction; compliance with the official control measures for the nematode.

Bibliographic references

• EPPO Global Database – Monochamus galloprovincialis.
• CABI Invasive Species Compendium – Monochamus galloprovincialis.
• Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 – Protection against plant pests.
• Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2072 – List of quarantine pests.
• Implementing Decision (EU) 2012/535 – Measures concerning the pine wood nematode.
• Sousa, E. et al. (2001). The pinewood nematode and its vectors in Portugal.
• Evans, H. F. et al. (2008). Pest risk analysis for Bursaphelenchus xylophilus and Monochamus spp.