Case studies tagged with insect pests

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Closterocerus chamaeleon a biological control agent of the eucalyptus gall wasp Ophelimus maskelli

Female Ophelimus maskelli & Female Closterocerus chamaeleon

Among essential oils, Eucalyptus oil, is one of the most useful as it is easily extractable commercially (industrial value) and possesses a wide range of desirable properties worth exploiting for pest management. Eucalyptus oils are mainly extracted from leaves which can be attacked by gall wasps as Ophelimus maskelli. Induced galls can affect the essential oil production.

This work aims to determine the role of the parasitoid Closterocerus chamaeleon in the biological control of its host O. maskelli.

Post-fire presence and dynamics of xylophagous insects on cork oak ecosystems

Montado landscape after fire (Grândola, 2017).

Cork oak ecosystems have been experiencing a serious decline in the last decades attributed to different causes, including wildfires. After fire trees may become particularly vulnerable to forest pests, which may further affect the vigor of surviving trees and give rise to massive dispersing offspring affecting surrounding areas, but this was rarely assessed in Mediterranean oak ecosystems. Thus, the objective of this study was to assess the presence and dynamics of xylophagous insects on cork oak forests following fire in central Portugal.