A QUANTITATIVE FIELD STUDY OF PREDATION BY THE SHEET-WEB SPIDER, FRONTINELLA COMMUNIS, ON EUROPEAN PINE SHOOT MOTH ADULTS

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Abstract
Field studies designed to determine the influence by predation of the sheet-web spider, Frontinella communis (Hentz), on the European pine shoot moth, Rhyacionia buoliana, are described. Daily records were kept of adult emergence and flight intensity throughout the flight period. Captures are recorded at 2-day intervals, and linear relationships between captures and emergences 4 and 6 days before capture are shown for females and males respectively. Daily captures and flight intensity are also linearly related. The trees could not support a shoot moth population large enough to raise the number of web-shoot moth contacts to the point where daily capture would remain constant in the absence of other prey species.It is concluded that F. communis, a web-spinning spider, is an ineffective predator of the European pine shoot moth.