SIZE- AND SEX-RELATED EMERGENCE, AND SURVIVAL IN COLD STORAGE, OF MOUNTAIN PINE BEETLE ADULTS

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Abstract
Larvae of the mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopk., were reared to adults in naturally infested bolts of lodgepole pine, Pinus conforta Dougl. var. latifolia Engelm., at 21 ± 3 °C. The mean pronotal width of the emerging beetles of both sexes decreased, and the male:female ratio increased, during the emergence period. On the average, larger individuals of both sexes survived longer when adult beetles were stored at 1 ± 2 °C. Also, the male:female ratio of the surviving beetles decreased with increased storage duration. These and related results in the literature suggest that in natural populations of the mountain pine beetle average adult size increases, and the male:female ratio decreases, following stress-induced mortality in the larval and(or) adult stages.