Factors Affecting the Flight Capacity of Two Woodwasp Species, F. (Hymenoptera: Siricidae) and M. (Hymenoptera: Siricidae).

F. is an invasive woodwasp that causes pine mortality in plantations in China. M. is a native woodwasp in large areas of China. In this study, the flight capacity of the two woodwasps was studied and compared using a tethered-flight mill system to find individual factors affecting the flight capacity. After flight bioassays, woodwasps were dissected to determine nematode infestation. Post-eclosion-day (PED) age significantly influenced the flight capacity of females and males; as woodwasps become older, their flight capacity decreased. For , PED age did not significantly affect their flight capacity. In general, the flight capacity of was greater than that of . Females flew further and for longer than males for both species. The spp. parasitism status of the two species did not significantly affect their flight performance parameters. PED age and body mass were key individual factors significantly affecting the flight capacity of the two species. In this study, detailed and accurate tethered-flight parameters of and were obtained. Although this is different from natural flight, it also provides us substantial laboratory data on their flight capacity, and facilitates risk analysis of the two woodwasp species.