Use of acoustic technology to control wood infesting insects

Abstract: Outbreaks of tree killing insects (e.g., bark beetles, wood wasps, woodborers) are the most significant biotic disturbance to forest ecosystems, and typically lead to extensive economic losses, complete transitions of forest communities, and negative impacts on local recreation and forest usage. New acoustic technology has the potential to minimize some of the impacts of these species in trees and wood products. Our objective is to create acoustic inputs to deter bark beetles from entering healthy trees and negatively affect beetles that are already in trees, and to test the efficacy of the acoustic devices for management and controlling bark beetles. We tested two hypotheses: (1) Acoustics will reduce or even prevent the entry of bark beetles into trees; (2) Acoustics will negatively affect mating, reproduction (fecundity) and activity of bark beetles that are already within trees. Impacts of acoustics had varying effects on the fitness components of our study organisms, pine engraver Ips pini, western pine beetle Dendroctonus brevicomis, and southern pine beetle Dendroctonus frontalis. This technology could add to the arsenal of tools forest managers use to control bark beetles, provide one of the few non-chemical and environmentally friendly methods of insect control, and expand the usage of this device for insect pests in the western and southern United States.