La Processionaria dei Pini nei boschi della dorsale appenninica della Calabria

The results of a study carriedout on the Pine Processionary moth [Traumatocampa (=Thaumetopoea) pityocampa (Denis & Schiffermüller)]in Calabria (Italy) during 1997-98 are reported. The preliminary aim of this investigation was to assessthe presence of the lepidopteran in the main pinewoods of the Calabrian Apennine ridge. The researchstarted with a census, conducted in 1997, of the areas where the Processionary moth was present; in the secondyear (1998) male flight dynamics were monitored using pheromone traps in 26 selected sites. Besides,during the first year the infestation levels were measured, recording the percentage of infested plants as wellas the number of nests on 10 infested trees randomly chosen. The correlation coefficient of the above-mentionedparameters was measured in order to be able to optimize the monitoring system. The data collected confirmedthat the Pine Processionary caterpillars adapt their own biology and ethology to the different altitudesand to the various climatic conditions of the Calabrian pinewoods. Pure pinewoods were more infestedthan the mixed ones, besides artificial woods were more susceptible to the attacks of the moth than the naturalones. The parameters that were measured (% of infested plants and number of winter nests per plant)were positively and significantly correlated. Male captures were higher at elevations ranging from 0 to 400 mand peaked in August up to 800 m and at the beginning of July between 800 and 1400 m. Statistical analysisshowed that the number of nests per plant is not significantly related to the number of male captures duringthe following season.