Oviposition Behavior of the Eastern Spruce Budworm Choristoneura fumiferana (Clemens) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae)

We documented 13 behaviors associated with oviposition in unfertilized and fertilized spruce budworm moths, Choristoneura fumiferana, by videotaping active moths with a macro lens. Apart from resting, the most pronounced behaviors were probing, drumming + probing, and egg laying. Probing was a bending of the abdomen and extension of the ovipositor to touch the substrate in a rocking, back and forth motion. Drumming + probing involved tapping of the substrate with the pro- and mesothocacic legs with concurrent bending of the abdomen as above. Egg laying was the actual process of egg deposition onto the needle surface of a balsam fir twig. Both the frequency and the duration of these behavioral elements varied depending on the mating status of the female. Unfertilized females exhibited a higher frequency of probing and egg laying. The duration of probing was longer in unfertilized females, while drumming + probing and egg laying were longer for fertilized females. This study is the basis for future work on the chemosensilla associated with the perception of host-plant surface chemicals by ovipositing females.