The Insect Communities of Dead Douglas Fir 
Pissodes fasciatus (2) is a weevil 
that breeds dn the fresh inner bark 
of the trunk. The site has to be 
shaded and is often on the underside 
of the trunk. The parasitoid wasp 
Allodorus crassipes (3) attacks the 
eggs °f Pissodes fasciatus. Wasp lar- 
vae do not kill weevil larvae until 
the latter are mature. 
(A Very Incomplete View) 
Buprestis aurulenta (1) is an abundant and 
conspicuous wood-boring beetle in the 
Douglas fir forest. Adults feed on conifer 
needles and mate on injured or recently 
killed trees. Eggs are laid in bark crevices 
and in cracks in the sound wood of logs 
from which the bark is gone. The egg 
site is usually in partial shade. The 
larvae feed on sapwood and heart- 
wood and normally require two to 
four years for development. 
The roots, trunk, branches, twigs, and bark of dead 
Douglas fir support specialized insects that feed and 
breed on and in the wood. In the many cases where 
heartwood or sapwood is preferred, further special- 
ization has taken place. The position of the wood 
in sunlight or shade is also a determining factor in 
the composition of the insect community. Each of 
the insects to which the dead tree plays host is host, 
in turn, to a variety of predators, parasites, and scav- 
engers. 
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