Dendrolimus sibiricus in the coniferous forests of European Russia at the beginning of the twenty‐first century

The Siberian conifer pest Dendrolimus sibiricus is slowly spreading westwards. It crossed the Urals at the beginning of the twentieth century and reached the Republic of Udmurtiya by the 1950s. Pheromones developed to support control of the pest in Siberia have been used to monitor for its presence in Russia. Results obtained in 2001 show that the pest is now widespread in the Republic of Mari El (500 km east of Moscow), while isolated individuals have been trapped in the Moscow region. No D. sibiricus were trapped in Tver’ Region (between Moscow and Sankt‐Peterburg).