Jack pine budworm populations and staminate flowers

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Abstract
The relationship between jack pine budworm (Choristoneurapinuspinus Free.) and staminate flowers of its principal host, jack pine (Pinusbanksiana Lamb.), is reviewed. Data from jack pine budworm outbreaks in northern Ontario are used to examine the relationship between the relative frequency of staminate shoots and the mortality of early-and late-larval jack pine budworm. Although there was some indication that early-instar budworm may be more successful at establishing feeding sites when flowers are abundant, there was no evidence that larval survival during the active feeding stages of the budworm was enhanced by the presence of staminate flowers. The assumption that staminate flowers greatly influence jack pine budworm population dynamics is questioned.