Host utilization by the mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins (Coleoptera: Scolytidae), in mixed stands of limber pine, Pinus flexilis James, and lodgepole pine, Pinus contorta latifolia Engelmann

From 2003--2005, I examined host utilization, emergence, flight activity, and impact of the mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins, in a mixed stand of limber and lodgepole pines in southeastern Wyoming. In May 2004, sampling from research plots demonstrated that a higher proportion of limber pines and a lower proportion of lodgepole pines were colonized by D. ponderosae. By the end of the 2005 season, the proportion of attacked to unattacked trees remained higher for limber pine than for lodgepole pine, suggesting a preference for limber pine. Emergence of D. ponderosae from screen traps affixed to trees indicated that the number of emerging beetles was greater for limber pine than for lodgepole pine.