The use of the parasitoid Gryon pennsylvanicum to

control Western conifer seed bug

Jessica Parker
Ent 469
November 28, 2018
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A coniferous forest is an active, busy place. Birds are singing, insects are buzzing, and

people are out in nature. In many forests around the world you will find people hiking, mountain

biking, bird watching, and logging. The forest is important in the lives of many individuals and

it would be life altering if it was lost. Many people do not realize the management involved in

maintaining forests. A healthy forest is made up of many interconnected relationships. While

many healthy forests can resist common disruptions the introduction a non-native species can

cause a negative impact. Western conifer seed bug, Leptoglossus occidentalis, is native to

western North America but has become an invasive species in Europe and Italy. Due to pesticide

and chemical legislation in many European forests it is desirable to use a biological control agent

to achieve control of this insect. The use of parasitoids in the development of a biological

control program for Western conifer seed bug is necessary because this invasive species can have

a negative impact on conifers.

The Western conifer seed bug, Leptoglossus occidentalis, is a common bug in the forests

of North America. Its native range is from British Columbia to Southern California and east into

Idaho, but their range has expanded across North America until reaching Nova Scotia in 2006

(Maltese, 2012). Adults emerge after overwintering in late May or early June. They lay eggs on

conifer needles and produce one generation per season (Jocobs, 2002). Cones and seeds are their

primary food source. To feed they insert their proboscis into the cones and digest the seed

contents. This feeding can cause extensive seed losses. These losses can be difficult to estimate

because it is impossible to tell the difference between seeds that have been aborted due to

environment conditions and ones that have been consumed (Bates, 2000). Conservative estimates

of the seed losses in the Western United States are between 70-80% in Western white pine,

coastal Douglas fir, and Ponderosa pine. In Canada seed yield losses are between 36%-41% on
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Douglas fir and 26% on White pine (Maltese, 2012). These number depend on cone

development and the life stage of the insect when the feeding takes place. Female seed bugs

have higher nutritional requirements due to reproduction, so they are more likely to cause more

damage. The lifecycle of the Western conifer seed bug can cause significate seed losses in

conifers.

The Western conifer seed bug has proved to be an effective invasive species. It was

inadvertently spread to Italy in 1990 and has since moved across Europe (Maltese, 2012).

Unfortunately, these locations lack natural enemies to help control its spread. In Italy they have

seen up to an 80% seed loss in Stone pine (Peverieri, 2012). Stone pine seeds are commonly

used as food, so these large losses are detrimental to the industry. Due to the seeds being used

for food this limits the chemicals that can be used to control the Western conifer seed bug. This

makes the development of a biological control program beneficial to reduce seed losses. To

begin an effective biological control program a survey of the natural enemies found in the

Western conifer seed bug’s native range needs to be conducted. In 2012 Maltese published a

paper entitled Parasitoids of Leptoglossus occidentalis Heidemann (Heteroptera: Coreidae)

recovered in western North America and first record of its egg parasitoid Gryon pennsylvanicum

(Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae) in California in which they discussed their survey of

natural enemies of the Western conifer seed bug. These enemies included the parasitoid

Trichnopoda pennipes and the egg parasitoids Gryon pennsylvanicum, Anastatus pearsalli, and

an Ooencyrtus species (Maltese, 2012). These species are common in the native range of the

Western conifer seed bug and could be used to help control this invasive species.

This survey was useful in determining which natural enemies had the greatest impact on

Western conifer seed bug populations. To conduct the survey, Maltese collected egg masses at
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six sites in British Columbia and three sites in California. These eggs were reared in the lab to

determine whether juvenile seed bugs or a parasitoid emerged. The team collected a total of

1,495 eggs and the rate of parasitism was 4.5%. The egg parasitoid, Gryon pennsylvanicum, was

the only one that emerged from the collected eggs (Maltese, 2012). This survey provided

evidence that G. pennsylvanicum actively parasitizes the eggs of the Western conifer seed bug.

This suggests that G. pennsylvanicum could make a viable biological control agent. Further

evaluations need to be made to determine if this parasitoid would provide adequate control.

Key lifecycle traits are important when evaluating if a parasitoid will make a good

biological control agent. These lifecycle traits included a high reproductive rate, a high female

to male ratio, and having a long live. Sabbatini Peverieri conducted oviposition trials to

determine the number of eggs of Western conifer seed bug that were parasitized after exposure to

G. pennsylvanicum and time frame when parasitism was occurring. He placed 50 eggs from the

Western conifer seed bug into cages containing one male and one female of G. pennsylvanicum

for 24 hours. The eggs were then removed and replaced with a fresh 50 eggs. This was

replicated 25 times. The oviposition period was 23 days with day one having the highest rate of

parasitism. The results of the experiment produced 3,180 offspring. Overall 72.45% of the eggs

developed into females. This shows that many more females were produced when compared to

males. The experiment provided evidence that males mate with the female shortly after

emergence and the female stores the sperm for future use (Peverieri, 2012). This could be

beneficial for a biological control program because the females can disperse far from hatch site

and establish new populations with the sperm they carry. The average lifespan of G.

pennsylvanicum is around 41 days (Peverieri, 2012). For an insect this is a decent amount of
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time. These lifecycle traits make G. pennsylvanicum make it an ideal candidate for the control of

the Western conifer seed bug.

Using a biological control agent for an invasive species requires introduction of another

non-native species to an area. The introduced species could have a negative effect on native

fauna. Risk assessments are used to evaluate the potential problems that could occur after

release. A pre-release risk assessment was conducted by Roversi on the potential risks involved

in the release of G. pennsylvanicum in Italy for control of the Western conifer seed bug. This

risk assessment attempted to determine if G. pennsylvanicum could shift hosts to a non-target

species. Eight species, Coreus marginatus, Gonocerus acuteangulatus, Gonocerus insidiator,

Gonocerus juniperi, Camptopus lateralis, Anezara viridula, Rhynocoris erythropus, and

Sphedonolestes cingulatus are native to Italy and are either in the same family of Western conifer

seed bug or are commonly found in pine stands. The experiment coupled males and females in

cages. They then exposed the female to one egg of a non-target host for either 1, 4, or 48 hours.

The eggs were then reared to emergence to determine what emerged. Any eggs that did not

hatch were dissected to determine their contents. The test was then replicated 10-20 times for

each host species and each exposure time. The test replication amount varied depending on the

number of host eggs available. Only two eggs were successfully parasitized by G.

pennsylvanicum, but an adult did not emerge successfully. These results showed that non-target

host eggs were not a suitable replacement for Western conifer seed bugs. The non-target hosts

had eggs of different sizes and morphological features that prevented successful parasitism

(Roversi, 2014). The high specificity between G. pennsylvanicum and the Western conifer seed

bug reduces non-target host risks. Further risk assessments should still be carried out to ensure a

positive outcome after introduction.

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Western conifer seed bug is native to North America where it feeds on cones and seeds.

The bug was inadvertently spread to Italy and Europe where its has caused large seed losses.

These losses have driven researchers to search for natural enemies that could be used as

biological control agents. Maltese conducted a survey to determine which natural enemies

provided the best control. The egg parasitoid G. pennsylvanicum proved to be the most effective.

Sabbatini Peverieri ran oviposition trial and determined that G. pennsylvanicum possessed

lifecycle traits that would make it a good biological control agent. In Italy, a pre-risk assessment

was done to determine the negative effects release of the non-native parasitoid could have on

native fauna (Roversi, 2014). The assessment found that a high specificity between G.

pennsylvanicum and Western conifer seed bug. These laboratory surveys and assessments

demonstrate that G. pennsylvanicum has the potential to be a successful biological control agent

of Western conifer seed bug.

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References:
Bates, S., Borden, J., Kermode, A., & Bennett, R. (2000). Impact of Leptoglossus occidentalis
(Hemiptera: Coreidae) on Douglas-fir seed production. Journal of Economic
Entomology, 93(5), 1444-51.
Jacobs, S. (2002). Western conifer seed bug. In PennState College of Agricultural Sciences.
Retrieved November 27, 2018, from https://ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/western-
conifer-seedbug
Maltese, M., Caleca, V., Guerrieri, E., & Strong, W. (2012). Parasitoids of Leptoglossus
occidentalis Heidemann (Heteroptera: Coreidae) recovered in western North America and
first record of its egg parasitoid Gryon pennsylvanicum (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera:
Platygastridae) in California. The Pan-Pacific Entomologist, 88(3), 347-355.
Roversi, P., Sabbatini Peverieri, G., Maltese, M., Furlan, P., Strong, W., & Caleca, V. (2014).
Pre‐release risk assessment of the egg‐parasitoid G ryon pennsylvanicum for classical
biological control of L eptoglossus occidentalis. Journal of Applied Entomology, 138(1-
2), 27-35.
Sabbatini Peverieri, Furlan, Simoni, Strong, & Roversi. (2012). Laboratory evaluation of Gryon
pennsylvanicum (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera, Platygastridae) as a biological control agent
of Leptoglossus occidentalis Heidemann (Heteroptera, Coreidae). Biological Control,
61(1), 104-111.