Low Winter Temperatures and the European Pine Shoot Moth, Rhyacionia buoliana (Schiff.) in Ontario.

Abstract

The European pine shoot moth, Rhyacionia buoliana (Schiff.), was first discovered in North America on Long Island, New York, in 1914 (Busck, 1914). Since that time it has spread throughout most of the northeastern United States, becoming one of the most important insect pests of pine plantations. In Ontario, it was first discovered in the Toronto area (McLaine, 1926) and since that time has dispersed throughout southern Ontario, appearing regvlarly south of a line from the southern end of Gcorgian Bay to a point just east of Lake Ontario (Fig. 1). Isolated occurrences of the shoot moth have been reported north of this line but these have been short-lived on small plantation trees, or have persisted in cities and towns on ornamentals protected by snow cover during the winter. The continuous distribution of the insect has remained relatively static since 1951, and it appears that the northern limit of its range in Ontario has been reached.