Low-pressure vacuum to control larvae of Hylotrupes bajulus (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)

Abstract:
Low-pressure vacuum applied to wood killed larvae of the old house borer, Hylotrupes bajulus. Mortality resulted from whole-body dehydration in the vacuum environment. Larvae were placed individually into sections of southern yellow pine (Pinus sp.) with MC of 12% and 23%, and low-pressure vacuum was achieved in a flexible, rubber container. Lethal vacuum time was directly related to larval weight; the lower the larval weight, the fewer hours were required for mortality. Limited data indicate that lethal vacuum time may increase with an increase in wood moisture content. Low-pressure vacuum may be an effective alternative to heat treatment and gas fumigants for controlling some wood-infesting beetles infesting pallets and wooden shipping containers.