The Clerid Beetle, Thanasimus dubius, as a Predator of the Southern Pine Beetle

Abstract

In the laboratory adult clerid beetles, Thanasimus dubius (F.), killed an average of 2.2 adults of the southern pine beetle, Dendroctonus frontalis Zimmerman, per day for 5-10 weeks. Females daily deposited up to 44 eggs which hatched in approximately 10 days. Clerid larvae destroyed as many as 100 immature bark beetles during their feeding period. Clerid adults destroyed 318 of 1000 southern pine beetles introduced into a cage with them, mostly before the pine beetles could attack fresh bolts. In nature, clerids kill many bark beetles, but probably are incapable of preventing epidemics.