A sampling plan for population dynamics studies on currant clearwing,Synanthedon tipuliformis(Lepidoptera: Sesiidae)

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Abstract
Sampling techniques for eggs, larvae, and pupae of the currant clearwing, Synanthedon tipuliformis (Clerck), attacking blackcurrant were developed, and their precision was evaluated. Reliable population estimates for the egg and early larval stages (standard error < 10%) were obtained by sampling one cane with at least two age groups of wood from the north and south halves of seven bushes in nine blocks. Similar precision was obtained for post-winter larvae from samples comprising three canes from each half of the bushes, but using this sampling scheme a lower precision (S.E.≃25–30%) had to be accepted for overwintering mortality factors. The pupal population was estimated from the numbers of live larvae at the end of the post-winter feeding stage, and cross-checked from the number of emergence holes in the 1-year-old wood taken for egg sampling the following year. This procedure gave estimates of similar reliability to those for the egg and larval stages.