Microclimatic conditions drive summer flight phenology of Platypus cylindrus in managed cork oak stands

The oak pinhole borer, Platypus cylindrus F., mainly colonizes oaks (Quercus sp.), and it is considered among the most serious pests of cork oak (Quercus suber L.). Despite being traditionally considered as a secondary pest in thermophilic oak woodlands, outbreaks seem to be more frequent throughout the Mediterranean Basin thus becoming a growing forest health concern. In the Iberian Peninsula, this insect mainly attacks cork oaks (Q. suber) causing intense stress to mature trees specially after cork harvesting season. In this study, we investigated the summer flight phenology of P. cylindrus in six stands located in north-eastern Spain. We recorded the number of insects trapped in pheromone-baited traps from late April to early September of 2021, and computed sex ratio, average date of flight and season flight curve in each plot. We fitted a GAM model to evaluate how population dynamics are driven by date and climatic factors. A total of 1795 insects were collected during the sampling period. Population peaks occurred from late May to mid-August. The fitted GAM predicted changes in the number of captures throughout the summer varying with microclimatic conditions. In addition, diversity of trapped non-target Curculionidae resulted moderate with low evenness including either ambrosia or bark beetles. This study represents the first attempt at modelling P. cylindrus flight, thus providing insights into the association between climate, pests and forestry.

Automated summary

This study investigated the summer flight phenology of the oak pinhole borer in northeastern Spain, and found that population peaks occurred from late May to mid-August. The results suggest that the population dynamics of this pest are influenced by date and climatic factors.