About half of Prunus Yedoensis Matsum' have withered out in the vicinity of Seoul. The phenomenon chiefly resulted from the fact that the lava of longicorn beetle (Aromia Cyanicornis Guerin-Mene-ville) invaded the xylem and the phloem inside and outsi...
About half of Prunus Yedoensis Matsum' have withered out in the vicinity of Seoul. The phenomenon chiefly resulted from the fact that the lava of longicorn beetle (Aromia Cyanicornis Guerin-Mene-ville) invaded the xylem and the phloem inside and outside of cambium. The portion which one lava devours is only 90㎠, but a great number of lava live around the trunks and eat them out because of their acquired habit or their in-born weak ability in flight. Thus the injured trees have been withered to death by the interruption of the conduct materials between the trunks and the leaves. All kinds of Prunus-(mainly Prunus Vedoensis M. Prunus padus L. var. Seoulensis N. prunus Ansu Komarov etc. are subjected to be devoured by longicorn beetles, but if they grow in good condition, then they are strong enough to defend the insects This fact chiefly depends upon the amount of the leak of resin. When the life energy of trees is vigorous, the leak of resin comes out in abundance, and therfore they can defend the attack of insects. On the contrary, when their life energy is weak, the amount of leak resin is reduced, or comes out nothing, and eventually they will be unable to defend. Then let us examine the cause of decay and death of Prunus yedoensis M.. First the climate is unsuitable for them. So in winter time, there appear the chasms in the trunks. Second, the injury by the firing, the war time or men and cattle is to be marked. Such phenomenon as above mentioned can be seen in Red Pine-(Pinus densiflora Siebold & Zuccarium). The harmful insects for the pine trees are Bark Beetles-(Myelophius Pinip-erda Linnaeous Myelophius minor Hartig).
The cause of their decay has proved to be chiefly artifical bureying, injury, cutting down of the root, etc,. One more thing to be cleared is the relation between the red pine trees and Bark beetles. When the imago invade trees, we can see two cases in young and old trees(40 years old).
In the former case, it takes long time for a imago to invade a single shoot because of its thickness and therefore the injured shoots by an in-sect will be diminished in its numbers.
In this case, the tree with few shoots invaded by insects will only be free from withering.
In the latter case, the new shoots are too thin for the insects to invade the inside of the trees. So they usually devour the bigger two years old shoots. Therefore a number of new shoots are invaded to death.
Accrdingly, few shoots. on the invaded two-years branches are to be withered and more over one insects can invade five or six two-years branches during term from July to November.
And therefore one insect makes the shoots wither out as many times as in the former case.
Thus, the old trees begin to wither from their top, and slowly the trunks themselves are suffered to death. The time required for it was calculated three to five years.
Hereby I made clear the life circle and the acquired habit of Longicorn. Beetle and Bark Beetle as well as the study of the cause of tree's death.