Recent Invasıon of the Chestnuts ın Western Turkey by the Chestnut Gall
 Wasp, Dryocosmus kurıphılus and Early Management Practıces by Usıng
the Parasıtoıd Wasp, Torymus sınensıs

Kahraman İpekdal¹         Polat Pamuk²            Akın Emin²
   Murat Koçluk³         Ali Ş. Kuzucu⁴         Yaşar Aksu⁵

¹Ahi Evran Uni. Dept. of Biology, Bagbasi Campus, Kirsehir, Turkey; kipekdal@gmail.com
²Turkish General Directorate of Forestry, Forest Pest Management Dept., Ankara, Turkey
³Yalova District Directorate of Forestry, Yalova, Turkey
⁴Bursa Regional Directorate of Forestry, Bursa, Turkey
⁵Artvin Regional Directorate of Forestry, Artvin, Turkey

The most important insect pest of chestnut, chestnut gall wasp, Dryocosmus kuriphilus Yasumatsu (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae) was detected in April 2014 in Yalova and Bursa Regions in Turkey. The invasion probably started at least six years ago and it is expected to reach all the Turkish chestnut forests in a very near future. A year after its detection in Yalova, it reached to the adjacent regions (Karamürsel and Bursa, max. 20 km from the original infestation area) by April 2015.

Management of the chestnut gall wasp is a hard task. Chemical insecticides are mostly unsuccessful and not preferred in natural stands. Some cultural measures could be taken in private orchards. The most successful method so far has been producing and releasing the parasitoid Torymus sinensis Kamijo (Hymenoptera: Torymidae). After the pest’s first record in Turkey, a laboratory for rearing T. sinensis has been built in Yalova by the Turkish General Directorate of Forestry, Department of Forest Pest Management and it has been activated by March 2015. First management trials started with T. sinensis adults transported from Padova Uni. (Italy).

Chestnut gall wasp has an important component of its community as being in interaction mainly with oak gall wasps and their parasitoids. 11 parasitoid species has already been found in chestnut gall wasp galls in Turkey. This system will get even more complicated and interesting for community ecology studies with addition of T. sinensis. As a general principle, structuring a successful pest management study depends on understanding potential impacts of the control measures at the ecosystem and community level. Chestnut gall wasp system is not an exception to this principle. The Yalova Laboratory will be serving mainly to management practices but also to studies related to community ecology.

This study aims to summarize measures taken and applications made so far in terms of management of the chestnut gall wasp invasion in Turkey.

Yayın yeri: Kahraman İpekdal.; Polat Pamuk.; Akın Emin.; Murat Koçluk.; Ali Şahin Kuzucu.; Yaşar Aksu.; Recent Invasıon of the Chestnuts ın Western Turkey by the Chestnut Gall Wasp, Dryocosmus kurıphılus and Early Management Practıces by Usıng the Parasıtoıd Wasp, Torymus sınensıs, “Population Dynamics and Integrated Control of Forest Defoliating and Other Insects” Book of Abstracts, September 28 – October 2, 2015, Sopot (Poland) Page: 67