An Efficient Laboratory Technique for Obtaining Pine Bark Beetle Eggs and Young Larvae

An efficient method for collecting bark beetle eggs and young larvae has been developed at the Forest Insect Laboratory of Texas A&M University. Formerly, collection of eggs involved the dissection of host material. Clark (1965) described a method of egg and larval procurement which, although resulting in adequate production, is very laborious and time-consuming. Due to collection injuries, a large percentage of the eggs and larvae were rendered useless for laboratory rearing studies. The technique herein described eliminates host material dissection during collection and minimizes injuries and destruction of eggs and larvae. Its essential feature lies in the pre-infestation treatment of the host material, which allows the bark to be removed intact at the time of egg collection.