The effects of forest fertilizers on the intensity of damage caused by two curculionid (Brachyderes incanus L., Brachonyx pineti Paykull) and two chrysomelid (Calomicrus pinicola Duft., Cryptocephalus pini L.) species feeding as adults on Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) needles were investigated in two pine stands growing on dry (Calluna type) sites in South-West Finland. There was much variation in the abundance of the insect species both between the trials and the sample plots. Nitrogen fertilization increased both the height and radial growth of the pines. The curculinids were slightly more abundant on the nitrogen-treated plots. Potassium application seemed to decrease the feeding intensity of the chrysomelids especially. The overall effects were so small that forest fertilization cannot be considered as an effective control method against needle-feeding beetles.
The PDF includes an abstract in Finnish.