The European pine sawfly, Neodiprion sertifer (Geoffr.) (Hymenoptera: Diprionidae), is a serious pest of pine plantations and ornamentals. Chemical pesticides used to control this pest have a detrimental effect on the environment. The Neodiprion sertifer nuclear polyhedrosis virus (NsNPV) frequently causes considerable decreases in the populations but doses not harm other animals or plants. In this study, we tested five different concentrations of NsNPV against the larvae of N. sertifer and showed viral infection using Giemsa staining. When a viral concentration of 5x109 PIB/ml (Polyhedral Inclusion Body) was utilized, larval mortality started on the fourth day and reached 90.4% on the ninth day of the bioassay. However, lower viral concentrations, 5x109, 5x108 and 5x107 PIB/ml, showed the same mortality, but the infection periods occurred on different days. This study shows that NsNPV can be effectively used against N. sertifer as a safe biological control agent in Turkey.

The European pine sawfly, Neodiprion sertifer (Geoffr.) (Hymenoptera: Diprionidae), is a serious pest of pine plantations and ornamentals. Chemical pesticides used to control this pest have a detrimental effect on the environment. The Neodiprion sertifer nuclear polyhedrosis virus (NsNPV) frequently causes considerable decreases in the populations but doses not harm other animals or plants. In this study, we tested five different concentrations of NsNPV against the larvae of N. sertifer and showed viral infection using Giemsa staining. When a viral concentration of 5x109 PIB/ml (Polyhedral Inclusion Body) was utilized, larval mortality started on the fourth day and reached 90.4% on the ninth day of the bioassay. However, lower viral concentrations, 5x109, 5x108 and 5x107 PIB/ml, showed the same mortality, but the infection periods occurred on different days. This study shows that NsNPV can be effectively used against N. sertifer as a safe biological control agent in Turkey.