The Yunnan pine (Pinus yunnanensis Franch.) is one of the primary forest vegetation types in Yunnan Province and has prominent economic value and ecological significance. Monitoring changes in Yunnan pine forests contributes to their health management. The normalized differential vegetation index (NDVI) is an essential indicator for studying regional vegetation change. Landsat images were used to analyze the NDVI changes of Yunnan pine forests in rainy and dry seasons as well as the NDVI changes of Yunnan pine forests from 2009 to 2020. The results showed that the NDVI in Yunnan pine forests showed opposite trends in the rainy and dry seasons, with an increase in the rainy season and a decrease in the dry season. The areas of NDVI decline during the rainy season are mainly located at the edges of the forest area, with very few within the forest area. The main reason for the decline in NDVI within the forest area was pests. From 2009 to 2020, the areas where NDVI increased and decreased were 92.23% and 7.77% of the pine forests, respectively. The decreasing areas were mainly located at the edges of the pine forests, with sporadic distribution within the forest areas. The drought led to a significant decline in NDVI in the forest area in 2010 and 2013. Due to the lack of protective measures, the forest area in Xijiekou Town was severely infested with pests, with complex NDVI changes and strong fluctuations, and areas of severe pest infestation could be detected by NDVI imagery. This study is meaningful for forest protection and explores the potential capability of Landsat imagery for pest detection.

A laboratory study on the life tables at different temperatures and humidities of the cochineal, Dactylopius coccus Costa, is summarized to reveal proper culturing environtment for the insect. It is found that constant temperature 19°C and 31°C are not suitable for cochineal culture while constant temperature 22°C, 25°C and 28°C are appropriate. Among them, 22°C is the most ideal temperature. In the experiments of humidity, the results show that under 90% RH, the number of the female adult of cochineal in the population is the most, and 70% RH is the next, while 50% RH is the lowest, it demonstrates that high humidity can be helpful for the insect. The main death period of the cochineal is from egg to the first instar, which death rate can be over 70%, it means that more attention should be paid to the period to decrease the death rate when the insect is cultured.

The objectives of the study were to analyze the nutritional composition of some species of pine caterpillars and to encourage utilization of these forest insect pests, therefore, the study constituted part of IPM (Integrated Pest Management) for these forest pests in China. The results showed that the crude protein (CP) content of the pupae of 4 species ranged from 53.55% to 61.26%. The CP content of the adults of 2 species was 58.04% and 68.30% respectively. The fat and the energy content ranged from 19.75 to 26.46% and from 406 to 473 kcal per 100g for the pupae; 6.56 to 24.63% and 327 to 454 kcal per 100g for the adults respectively. As compared with the essential amino acids according to WHO/FAO/UNU pattern, some of the essential amino acids for human adult nutrition are found to be higher than the levels as recommended by WHO/FAO/UNU.

The history and current utilization of pine caterpillar by those ethnic groups living in the Yunnan province was introduced in the paper, and its potential evaluation as a cheap notorious food source was analyzed. The pine caterpillars can provide high quality proteins and high fat as well as caloric values, it means that these insects can be used as resource insects instead of pest insects. Mass harvesting the pine caterpillars by local people may reduce the use of pesticides considerably in one hand, and in the other hand, it may provide the indigenous people with high quality protein food.

⁶⁰Co-γ ray has been used to develop new varieties of cochineal. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of ⁶⁰Co-γ ray radiation on the reproduction of cochineal. Different doses of ⁶⁰Co-γ ray were used to treat cochineal and the ability of generating offspring was determined. The results showed that high dose of ⁶⁰Co-γ ray treatment dramatically reduced the ability of cochineal to produce offspring. F₁ generation of cochineal treated with high dose of ⁶⁰Co-γ (3000rad) only produced small number of F₂ generation and F₂ cochineal were no longer able to produce offspring. In contrast, low dose of ⁶⁰Co-γ ray treatment dramatically increased the number of female F₁, while the number of male F₁ was only slightly increased compared with those untreated cochineal. Under the dose of 500rad, the reproductive ability of F₂ generation was significantly increased, but the female body volume and the number of brooding eggs were relatively small. Under the dose of 1000rad, the female body volume and the number of brooding eggs were not significantly different from those untreated cochineal. The female body volume and the number of brooding eggs in F₃ generation were slightly higher than the control under both 500rad and 1000rad doses.