Monoterpene-orientation
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Tomicus piniperda
common pine shoot beetle, Eurasian pine shoot beetle
Tomicus piniperda is a bark beetle native to Europe, northwestern Africa, and northern Asia, and an invasive species in North America. It is one of the most destructive shoot-feeding beetles in northern Europe, causing economic damage to pine forestry through two distinct feeding behaviors: breeding in stressed or dead pine trunks and feeding on the pith of healthy young pine shoots. The beetle has a single generation per year and does not use pheromones for mate location, instead relying on host plant volatiles. It was first detected in North America in 1992 near Cleveland, Ohio, and has since spread to multiple U.S. states and Canadian provinces, triggering federal quarantines.