Sirex noctilio, the Sirex woodwasp, is an invasive pest that causes significant economic damage to native and commercial conifer stands through the introduction of a fungal wood decay pathogen. We combined the latitudes and longitudes of S. noctilio distribution points with historical climate data to predict its potential global distribution using a maximum entropy model implemented in the Maxent software. The annual mean temperature, the mean temperature of the warmest quarter, and the precipitation of the wettest month were important meteorological factors that affected the predictions, probably because they have a strong effect on the development of S. noctilio. Our predictions cover the most recent occurrence sites of S. noctilio in China. We predict that suitable habitats for S. noctilio are currently concentrated between 30° N to 60° N and 25° S to 55° S on the world map. All continents except for Antarctica contain suitable areas for S. noctilio, and such areas account for approximately 26% of the total area of these six continents. Predictions for 2050 and 2070 show that global climate change will affect the distribution of S. noctilio. With a decrease in carbon dioxide emissions, areas of moderate to high habitat suitability for S. noctilio will increase; with an increase in emissions, these areas will decrease.

Sirex noctilio F. (Hymenoptera: Siricidae: Siricinae), a new invasive species in China, is a significant international forestry pest which, transported via logs and related wood packing materials, has led to environmental damage and substantial economic loss in many countries around the world. It was first detected in China in 2013, and since then infestations have been found in 18 additional sites. Using a 322 bp fragment of the mitochondrial barcode gene COI, we studied the genetic diversity and structure of S. noctilio populations in both native and invaded ranges, with a specific focus in China. Twelve haplotypes were found across the native and invaded distribution of the pest, of which three were dominant; among these there were only one or two mutational steps between each pair of haplotypes. No obvious genetic structure was found other than in Chinese populations. China has a unique and dominant haplotype not found elsewhere, and compared with the rest of the world, the genetic structure of Chinese populations suggested a multiple invasion scenario.

The sweetgum inscriber, Acanthotomicus suncei (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), is a recently discovered pest of American sweetgum planted in China, with a potential for causing a devastating invasion into North America. Research on the beetle has been hampered by a dwindling access to breeding material. We tested the effect of four artificial diets on A. suncei’s developmental time, length and weight of adults, egg hatching rate, pupation rate, and eclosion rate. Additionally, we evaluated the same parameters on A. suncei reared on American sweetgum logs. Only one diet supported the full development of A. suncei after 30 d. Beetles reared on this diet, which was made of small quantities of agar and additives (i.e., inositol, potassium sorbate, and methylparaben), supported the shortest developmental time of 45.55 ± 1.24 d. Beetles reared on American sweetgum logs exhibited a longer developmental time of 59.52 ± 4.52 d. Beetles reared on the artificial diet were markedly bigger and heavier than those reared on American sweetgum logs (p < 0.01). The egg hatching rate (58.90% ± 6.80%) and eclosion rate (86.50% ± 4.69%) of A. suncei on the artificial diet were significantly greater than those on sweetgum logs. However, the pupation rate (38.60% ± 8.36%) was much lower on the artificial diet than on the sweetgum logs. Here, we reported the best artificial diet for A. suncei and discuss the advantages and disadvantages over rearing the beetle on American sweetgum logs.