The chemical feeding ecology ofNeodiprion dubiosus schedl,N. rugifrons midd., andN. lecontei (Fitch) on jack pine (Pinus banksiana lamb.)

Two monophagous sawflies,Neodiprion dubiosus andN. rugifrons, actively avoid feeding on the current season's needles of jack pine,Pinus banksiana, while the polyphagousN. lecontei feeds indiscriminately on foliage of all age classes. Bioassay studies with needle extracts indicate thatN. dubiosus andN. rugifrons larval feeding preference is governed by a group of tricyclic diterpene resin acids. Resin acids commonly occur in needles of all ages; however, levopimaric, palustric, dehydroabietic, and neoabietic acids were at higher concentrations in the new needles.N. dubiosus was significantly deterred from feeding on 1-year-old foliage when treated with the pure resin acids, palustric and levopimaric, at 0.5 and 1.0 mg/ml MeOH.N. rugifrons larvae were deterred from feeding by pure dehydroabietic, neoabietic, and palustric acids at 1.0 mg/ml MeOH.