Published online by Cambridge University Press: 31 May 2012
Laboratory and field experiments were designed to determine the effect of insect predators on the immature broods of Dendroctonus brevicomis LeConte. The results indicate that predation is dependent on the predator density and the time predator and prey are exposed together. Prey density was generally very high and had little effect on the rate of predation. The corroboration of laboratory and field experiments give confidence to the conclusion that the constant predation rate (0.261 prey per predator per day) can be used to estimate western pine beetle mortality from predation, provided temperatures remain within the 60° to 70°F range.