Monitoring regulated quarantine plant pathogens and, when relevant, their vectors is compulsory in the European Union. Local Monochamus species (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae) vector the pine wood nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, a non-native pest already established in most of Portugal. Only 29 M. galloprovincialis individuals were trapped in Belgium in ten years (2013–2022), despite a dense coverage of pheromone-baited traps, suggesting absence or a very rare local occurrence in the country. In the northern neighbouring countries, only one single established population is known in The Netherlands and one in Denmark. A species distribution model based on pheromone-trap catches (negative and positive) of M. galloprovincialis from 4,914 traps in 29 European countries between 2008 and 2019 was developed, using the overall climate conditions and the distribution of seven pine tree species as explanatory variables. The effect of spatial scale was tested with a multi-scale approach. With a 225*225 km spatial grain, the major explanatory variables were the mean diurnal temperature range and, to a lesser extent, the presence of Pinus spp. The model predicted a low probability of presence in Belgium, the Netherlands, Great Britain and north-western Germany compared to southern Europe. Genotyping allowed to conclude that at least some of the beetles caught in Belgium originated from foreign locations. All catches were located close to entry points, suggesting introduction with imported material. The small size of most of the Belgian pine stands may also explain the absence or apparently transient status, or rareness of Monochamus spp. This study thus suggests that surveys in Belgium should privilege entry points rather than local forest stands.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2026 OA
When accidentally introduced in a new location, a species does not necessarily readily become invasive, but it usually needs several years to adapt to its new environment. In 2009, a national mosquito survey (MODIRISK) reported the introduction and possible establishment of an invasive mosquito species, Aedes j. japonicus, in Belgium. First collected in 2002 in the village of Natoye from a second-hand tire company, then sampled in 2003 and 2004, the presence of adults and larvae was confirmed in 2007 and 2008. A repeated cross-sectional survey of Ae. j. japonicus was then conducted in 2009 in Natoye to study the phenology of the species on two different sites using three kinds of traps: Mosquito Magnet Liberty Plus traps, BG sentinel traps and CDC Gravid traps. An analysis of the blood meals was done on females to assess the epidemiological risks. Five species of mosquitos were caught using the different kind of traps: Culex pipiens, Cx. torrentium, Anopheles claviger, Aedes geniculatus and Ae. j. japonicus, Cx. pipiens being the most abundant. The CDC gravid traps gave the best results. Surprisingly Ae. j. japonicus was only found on one site although both sites seem similar and are only distant of 2.5 km. Its population peak was reached in July. Most of the engorged mosquitoes tested acquired blood meals from humans (60\%). No avian blood meals were unambiguously identified. Larvae were also collected, mostly from tires but also from buckets and from one tree hole. Only one larva was found in a puddle at 100 m of the tire storage. A first local treatment of Ae. j. japonicus larvae population was done in May 2012 using Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis (Bti) and was followed by preventive actions and public information. A monitoring is also presently implemented.
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