Dryocosmus kuriphilus: Origins, impact, monitoring

The chestnut gall wasp (Dryocosmus kuriphilus) represents the most significant insect pest for the genus Castanea. Since being first observed in 2009 it has spread to chestnut forests all over Switzerland. In the meantime its population is controlled by its natural enemy (Torimus synensis), which was introduced in Italy as a biological pest control. Our project focuses on monitoring the evolution of the system chestnut tree - gall wasp - natural antagonist on the long term.