Sirex woodwasp

 Insects: Boring Insects
Hexapoda (including Insecta) > Hymenoptera > Siricidae > Sirex noctilio Fabricius
Sirex woodwasp is native to Europe, Asia, and northern Africa. It has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and South Africa as well as Indiana and New York. The most common method of introduction has been on solid wood packing material as well as in untreated or dried logs and saw timber. It attacks a wide variety of pines including Monterey, loblolly, slash and shortleaf. The female drills into the wood and inserts a toxic mucous and the fungus Amylostereum areolatum along with her eggs. The mucus prevents anti-fungal toxins from being formed at the site of infection. The fungus grows in the wood causing it to dry out and the trees die in a few weeks or months. The eggs are white, soft, smooth and elongate. Larvae are creamy white and legless with a distinctive dark spine at the rear of the abdomen. The frass-filled larval galleries become 'horseshoe' or 'u-shaped' as the larvae tunnel towards the heartwood, but then turn back towards the sapwood. Larvae feed on the fungus, which has converted the wood cellulose into a more easily digestible form. The pupae formed in the outer layers of the sapwood are initially creamy-white and gradually assume the color of the adults. In July, large round holes are left as adults emerge and begin searching for new hosts. The adult is a large, robust insect, usually 1 to 1 1/2 inches long. Adult females have dark metallic blue or black bodies with orange legs. The head and thorax of the males are metallic blue. The abdomen is orange at the center and black at the base. Sirex woodwasp is expected to complete one generation per year throughout most of the United States. The most important symptom is the progressive and irreversible chlorosis in the crown, followed by a sudden wilting of the foliage, heavy needle fall, and finally death and decay. Initially it is important to inspect the surfaces of stems for resin drops released after eggs are laid. Narrow bands of brownish fungal stain in the outer sapwood can be noted in infested trees. In general, Sirex woodwasp attacks living pines, while native woodwasps attack only dead, weakened, or dying trees.

80 records

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Image Descriptor Description Photographer
0017021 Adult(s)

female

 William M. Ciesla
0017022 Adult(s)

male

 William M. Ciesla
1258103 Adult(s) Female Stanislaw Kinelski
1349009 Adult(s) Frequently the female dies while she oviposits in the tree Paula Klasmer
1349011 Adult(s) Emerging female Paula Klasmer
1349014 Adult(s) Female Paula Klasmer
1414001 Adult(s) Male David R. Lance
1414002 Adult(s) Female David R. Lance
1414003 Adult(s) Female David R. Lance
1414004 Adult(s) Female David R. Lance
1414005 Adult(s) Emerging David R. Lance
1414006 Adult(s) Emerging David R. Lance
5007026 Adult(s) Kevin Dodds
5169013 Adult(s) Found in Quarantine at CBP SAV by K. Thompson with tiles from Turkey 12 Dec 2006. Charles Olsen
5169014 Adult(s) Found in Quarantine at CBP SAV by K. Thompson with tiles from Turkey 12 Dec 2006. Charles Olsen
5174032 Adult(s) Ethan Angell
5314009 Adult(s) Adult wasps are 10-44mm long with a cylindrical body. Adults have a spear-shaped plate (cornus) at the tail end. The antennae are entirely black, Females have a metallic blue head and body with orange legs. A spike-like projection on the tail end of the abdomen protects a female's ovipositor when it is not being used for egg-laying; Australia: Victoria. Pest and Diseases Image Library
5314010 Adult(s) Females have a metallic blue head and body with orange legs. A spike-like projection on the tail end of the abdomen protects a female's ovipositor when it is not being used for egg-laying; Australia: Victoria. Pest and Diseases Image Library
5314011 Adult(s) Females have a metallic blue head and body with orange legs. A spike-like projection on the tail end of the abdomen protects a female's ovipositor when it is not being used for egg-laying; Australia: Victoria. Pest and Diseases Image Library
5314012 Adult(s) Adult wasps are 10-44mm long with a cylindrical body. Adults have a spear-shaped plate (cornus) at the tail end. The antennae are entirely black, Males have a metallic blue head and thorax. The abdomen is orange at the centre with black at the base and tail end. The hind legs are thickened and black; Australia: Victoria. Pest and Diseases Image Library
5314013 Adult(s) 10-44mm long with a cylindrical body. Adults have a spear-shaped plate (cornus) at the tail end. The antennae are entirely black. Males have a metallic blue head and thorax. The abdomen is orange at the centre with black at the base and tail end. The hind legs are thickened and black; Australia: Victoria. Pest and Diseases Image Library
5314014 Adult(s) Adult wasps are 10-44mm long with a cylindrical body. Adults have a spear-shaped plate (cornus) at the tail end. The antennae are entirely black. Males have a metallic blue head and thorax. The abdomen is orange at the centre with black at the base and tail end. The hind legs are thickened and black; Australia: Victoria. Pest and Diseases Image Library
5007024 Adult(s) Kevin Dodds
1393025 Biological Control Applying the parasitic nematode into a sirex-infested tree. Dennis Haugen
0017027 Biological Control

Perti dish containing a culture of a parasitic nematode used for bio control.

 William M. Ciesla
0017028 Biological Control

A culture of parasitic nematode

 William M. Ciesla
0017029 Biological Control

A technician punches holes in an infested tree to prepare it for inoculation with parasitic nematode.

 William M. Ciesla
0017030 Biological Control

A technician injects a suspension of parasitic nematode into a infested tree

 William M. Ciesla
0017026 Control

A technician injects an herbicide into a supressed pine to serve as a trap tree for monitoring low level populations

 William M. Ciesla
0017052 Control

Row thinned plantations

 William M. Ciesla
1393026 Control Trap tree plot in a 15-year old plantation in South Australia. For survey and/or for release site of biological control agents. March 1987 Dennis Haugen
1393021 Control Nematode inoculation in South Australia - Aug 1987 Dennis Haugen
1393022 Control Silvicultural control by on-time thinning in a 13-yr old plantation in South Australia. No mortality in thinned section (top right corner). 68% mortality in other seection. Dennis Haugen
1393018 Damage Green needles reflex after attack in response to mucus injection. South Australia - Sept 1987. Dennis Haugen
1393019 Damage Round exit holes vary from 1/8 to 3/8" in diameter. South Australia - Sept 1987. Dennis Haugen
1349013 Damage Showing larvae Paula Klasmer
1393027 Damage 80-90% tree mortality in a 15-year old plantation from a sirex outbreak. South Australia - November 1989 Dennis Haugen
1393031 Damage 66% tree morality in 13-year old plantation. Mount Gambier, South Australia. May 1988. Dennis Haugen
2166052 Damage close-up of resin beads; characteristic of attack Kevin Dodds
0017062 Damage

Aerial view of plantation with low level of tree mortality

 William M. Ciesla
0017069 Damage

Plantation harvested because of heavy damage.

 William M. Ciesla
0017070 Damage

Plantation harvested because of heavy damage.

 William M. Ciesla
1231229 Damage Gyorgy Csoka
1258101 Damage Exit holes Stanislaw Kinelski
1258102 Damage Stanislaw Kinelski
1349004 Damage Paula Klasmer
1349006 Damage Paula Klasmer
1349007 Damage Paula Klasmer
0017024 Damage

Exit holes

 William M. Ciesla
0017040 Damage

Aerial view of tree mortality

 William M. Ciesla
0017041 Damage

Aerial view of tree mortality in plantations

 William M. Ciesla
0017042 Damage

Aerial view of tree mortality in pine plantations

 William M. Ciesla
0017043 Damage

Aerial view of tree moratlity in a pine plantation

 William M. Ciesla
0017044 Damage

Aerial view of tree mortality in pine plantation

 William M. Ciesla
0017045 Damage William M. Ciesla
0017046 Damage

Aerial view of tree mortality in a pine plantation

 William M. Ciesla
2166055 Damage resin beads; characteristic of attack Kevin Dodds
1292064 Diagram or Graphic Adult, larva and galleries, Poland Robert Dzwonkowski
1393032 Diagram or Graphic Life cycle of sirex nematode, Deladenus siricidicola (from Bedding 1972). Dennis Haugen
1393029 Feature(s) Resin dribbles from oviposition wounds -- 14-year old tree in South Australia. June 1988. Dennis Haugen
1393030 Feature(s) Cambial staining by sirex fungus (Amylostereum areolatum). South Australia. June 1988 Dennis Haugen
1393020 Feature(s) Larval galleries in board sawn from a sirex-infested tree. Dennis Haugen
1393023 Feature(s) Cambial staining by sirex fungus (Amylostereum areolatum) Dennis Haugen
2166053 Feature(s) resin beads; characteristic of attack Kevin Dodds
1349010 Feature(s) Frequently the female dies while she oviposits in the tree Paula Klasmer
5377977 Feature(s)

Exit holes and galleries.

 Milan Zubrik
5007025 Feature(s) resin beads; characteristic of attack Kevin Dodds
1258050 Galleries Stanislaw Kinelski
1258098 Galleries Stanislaw Kinelski
5377976 Galleries Milan Zubrik
1231228 Galleries Gyorgy Csoka
1393017 Larva(e) larva in gallery with tightly compacted frass. South Australia - Sept 1987 Dennis Haugen
1349012 Larva(e) Detail of the characteristic tailspine Paula Klasmer
1393028 Map World distribution -- in 2000 Dennis Haugen
0017023 Pupa(e)

and larval tunnels

 William M. Ciesla
0017051 Research Bill Ciesla and Attilio Disperati examining 35 mm aerial photos of tree mortality Patricia M. Ciesla
0017077 Research

Erik Johnson, USDA Forest Service R-2 and Yeda Oliviera, EMBRAPA reviewing an aerial survey map of Sirex noctilio damage; EMBRAPA headquarters

 William M. Ciesla
0017078 Research

Erik Johnson, USDA Forest Service R-2 and Yeda Oliviera, EMBRAPA reviewing an aerial survey map of Sirex noctilio damage; EMBRAPA headquarters

 William M. Ciesla
0017080 Research

Erik Johnson, USDA Forest Service R-2 and Yeda Oliviera, EMBRAPA reviewing an aerial survey map of Sirex noctilio damage; EMBRAPA headquarters

 William M. Ciesla
0017034 Survey

Aero Boero aircraft used for aerial sketchmapping of damage

 William M. Ciesla


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