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Winter moth on Sitka spruce: synchrony of egg hatch and budburst, and its effect on larval survival

The winter moth Operophtera brumata L. (Lep., Geometridae) is well known as a defoliator of a range of broadleaved trees (e.g. Tenow, 1972; Holliday, 1977). In recent years the winter moth has also been recorded on Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis Bong) in Scotland, often causing substantial defoliation, and poor and distorted tree growth (Stoakley, 1985). The larvae of many moth species feed early in the season on young foliage. In several of these species, including the winter moth, larval growth and survival is markedly affected by the timing of egg hatch in relation to host plant phenology (e.g. Eidt & Cameron, 1971; DuMerle & Mazet, 1983; Watt, 1987). The relationship between winter moth larval performance and bud phenology has been studied on oak and apple (Feeny, 1970; Holliday, 1977) and is thought to be a major influence on the fluctuations of winter moth numbers (Feeny, 1976). While winter moth larvae can only feed on the new (current year's) foliage of Sitka spruce, it is not known how susceptible they are to variability in the timing of egg hatch in relation to Sitka spruce budburst, nor how phenological synchrony affects winter moth abundance on Sitka spruce. This paper reports observations on the timing of winter moth egg hatch and