In urban and suburban areas larvae of the pine processionary moth, Thaumetopoea pityocampa (Denis and Schiffermüller), cause serious defoliation to Cedrus, Pinus, and Pseudotsuga trees and health problems to humans and domestic or farm animals by their urticating setae. In this study, we present the results of biennial trials (2015-2016) on the management of T. pityocampa infestations using commercial or LIFE-PISA prototype trunk barrier and adhesive trap devices in Greece (Attica and Volos), Spain (Valencia), and Italy (Molise). In Attica, for both 2015 and 2016, the commercial trunk barrier trap devices captured significantly more T. pityocampa wintering migrant larvae compared to the adhesive barrier trap devices, indicating their high capture capacity. The total performance of the trunk barriers trap devices was 99.8% in 2015 and 99.6% in 2016. In Volos and Valencia, no significant differences were recorded between captures in commercial and LIFE-PISA prototype trunk barrier trap devices. In the tests that were conducted in Molise, the commercial trunk barrier trap devices exhibited high effectiveness in capturing the wintering migrant larvae during their procession, before they reach the ground for pupation. Moreover, significantly fewer male adults were captured by pheromone trap devices during summer 2016 in comparison with 2015 in the experimental area. Similarly, significantly fewer nests were formed on the experimental area trees in winter 2016 and 2017 compared with 2015. Our results show the potential of the trunk barrier trap devices in the management of T. pityocampa numbers after long-term application in urban and suburban areas.

The development of reliable monitoring techniques can offer valuable sources of knowledge on the control of Thaumetopoea pityocampa (Denis and Schiffermüller) (Lepidoptera: Thaumetopoeidae). Nevertheless, there is a knowledge gap on the simultaneous large-scale monitoring of T. pityocampa male adult population by using novel trap devices. Thus, the influence of type of trap device on the capture of male adults of T. pityocampa was evaluated in four areas with pine trees in southern Europe; two in Greece (Thessaly and Attica), one in Italy (Molise), and one in Spain (Valencia). Six different novel trap devices, i.e., Prototype 1, Prototype 2, Prototype 3, Prototype 4, Prototype 5, and Prototype 6, were tested during 2015 between July and November. In general, the male adult catches lasted longer in the two sites of Greece compared with Molise and Valencia. Hence, in Thessaly, captures started in early August and remained at high levels until late September. In Attica, captures started in mid-August and lasted until early November. In contrast, for both Molise and Valencia, most of the male adults were captured in August, while male adult catches were recorded until September. From the trap devices tested, Prototype 1 was found superior than the other devices, regardless of the area, with the exception of Valencia, where there were no differences in the overall captures among Prototype 1, Prototype 5, and Prototype 6. In most of the combinations tested, there was a positive and significant correlation among captures of T. pityocampa in pairs of different trap devices, indicating that most of them gave similar population fluctuations. Our results suggest that Prototype 1 should be selected for the monitoring of T. pityocampa male adult population.