Colonization of southern beech byPlatypus caviceps (Coleoptera: Platypodidae).

The role of host- and beetle-produced odors in the colonization of southern beech (Nothofagus spp.) by the pinhole borerPlatypus caviceps Broun was investigated. Host-selecting males attacked the crown zone of a recently felled tree. Beetle emergence and dispersal were influenced by temperature, and sparse colonization continued over the 30 days of the study. Field tests using naturally baited traps indicated that male colonization of southern beech can be accounted for by attraction to host odors alone and that subsequent female response is to a male-released sex pheromone acting alone or in combination with host odors.