Abstract Ambrosia beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) are economically important pests of ornamental nursery crops because the presence of 5 attacks can render thin-barked deciduous trees unmarketable. In North America, Xylosandrus crassiusculus (Motschulsky), Xylosandrus germanus (Blandford), Xylosandrus compactus (Eichhoff), and Cnestus mutilatus (Blandford) are among the most destructive ambrosia beetle pest species in nursery systems. Anisandrus maiche (Stark) is a new emerging pest in North America. These species preferentially colonize physiologically stressed hosts by orienting to ethanol emitted from plant tissues, creating a strong linkage between host stress, beetle behavior, and management risk. Despite the widespread use of ethanol-baited traps and preventative insecticide applications, ambrosia beetle management remains challenging due to variability in phenology, species-specific cryptic and social behaviors, and continual pressure from surrounding woodlots. The objective of this review was to synthesize current knowledge on the natural history and landscape ecology of beetles in the tribe Xyleborini and to discuss how this information can be applied to improve integrated pest management in nursery systems. Mechanisms of host selection and ethanol-mediated attraction, a review of monitoring tools and their interpretation, and an examination of species-specific differences in flight activity, dispersal capacity, overwintering biology, and reproductive behavior are biologically relevant to management. Landscape context, including proximity to woodlots and the spatial distribution of hosts, influences the risk of beetle infestations. Management tactics, including cultural, chemical, biological, and behavioral, are discussed in the context of ambrosia beetle biology, ecology, and movement across nursery–woodlot interfaces.
Calpo et al. (Sat,) studied this question.