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Bark and Ambrosia Beetle Communities in Hazelnut Orchards of Italy and Georgia
by
, , , , , and
Eleonora Cresta
1,2
,
Nicolò Di Sora
1,*
,
Roberto Masturzi
1,
Luca Rossini
3
,
Matteo Maspero
4,
Marika Kodua
5,
Tommaso De Gregorio
4,
Miloš Petrović
6,
Stefano Speranza
1,7
and
Mario Contarini
1
1
Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie e Forestali, Università degli Studi della Tuscia, Via San Camillo de Lellis snc, 01100 Viterbo, Italy
2
National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), Piazza Marina 61, 90133 Palermo, Italy
3
Service d’Automatique et d’Analyse des Systèmes, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Av. F.D. Roosvelt 50, CP 165/55, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
4
Hazelnut Company Division, Ferrero Group, 16 Rue de Trèves, L-2633 Senningerberg, Luxembourg
5
Hazelnut Company AgriGeorgia—111, Saint Nino Str. Dis., Chitatskari 2139, Georgia
6
Department for Environmental and Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovica 8, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
7
Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores (CEPAVE, CONICET-UNLP), Blvd. 120 1900, La Plata B1900, Argentina
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Insects 2025, 16(11), 1148; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects16111148 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 24 September 2025
/
Revised: 27 October 2025
/
Accepted: 7 November 2025
/
Published: 9 November 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Beetles: Biology, Ecology, and Integrated Management)
Simple Summary
Hazelnut is a significant crop in many areas worldwide, but it is increasingly threatened by bark and ambrosia beetles. These beetles can damage trees directly and may also carry harmful fungi, making them a growing concern for farmers, especially under climate change conditions. Although several studies have investigated beetle species associated with hazelnut orchards, information on the overall beetle community and how different farming practices affect their populations is still limited. Our study explored beetle communities in hazelnut orchards located in Italy and Georgia, two regions with high production levels. We compared orchards with three types of management: integrated pest control, organic, and natural state. We also tested three different trap designs to see which captured the highest numbers of beetles. We found five species in total, with one species being the most common in both countries. Beetle numbers were lowest in organic orchards and highest in the other two systems. Traps varied in performance, with a simple handmade design working best. These results provide useful guidance to improve sustainable monitoring and protection of hazelnut crops.
Abstract
Bark and ambrosia beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) are major pests of agricultural and forest systems and include some species which attack hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) as well. Although hazelnut cultivation is increasingly threatened by insect and mite pests, yet little is known about how management practices can reduce infestations. This study investigated bark and ambrosia beetles in hazelnut orchards from two highly productive areas: Viterbo district (central Italy) and Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region (Republic of Georgia). Three phytosanitary management strategies were compared across 2023–2024: Integrated Pest Management, organic farming, and renaturalised orchards. Monitoring also evaluated three ethanol-baited trap designs: three designs in Italy (handmade red funnel [BR] and bottle [TT] and commercial multi-funnel [MF]) and only TT in Georgia. Anisandrus dispar, Hypothenemus eruditus, Xyleborinus saxesenii, and Xylosandrus germanus were detected in both countries, while Xyleborus monographus occurred only in Italy. Xyleborinus saxesenii was the dominant species in both regions. Beetle populations differed among management strategies, being lowest in organic orchards and highest in integrated and renaturalised systems. Trap performance also varied, with BR consistently outperforming commercial MF. These findings highlight the influence of management and monitoring tools on scolytine populations, offering practical insights for sustainable hazelnut production.
Keywords:
Scolytinae; hazelnut orchards; pest management; trap performance
