Abstract:
The Sirex woodwasp, Sirex noctilio, and its fungal mutualist, Amylostereum areolatum,
together constitute one of the most damaging invasive pests of pine. Despite a century of research and
well-established management programs, control remains unpredictable and spread continues to new
areas. Variable success in managing this pest has been influenced by complex invasion patterns, the
multilayered nature of biological interactions, the varying local ecologies, and microevolutionary
population processes in both the biocontrol organisms and in the wasps. Recent research findings are
challenging the historical perspectives on methods to manage the Sirex woodwasp, calling for
management programs to incorporate the variable local dynamics affecting this pest complex. In this
regard, the Sirex woodwasp provides a superb model to illustrate the need for a different approach to
develop efficient and sustainable management tools to deal with the growing and global nature of pest
invasions in forests and plantations.
