Species alert
 

Scientific name: Leptoglossus occidentalis Heidemann, 1910 (Hemiptera, Coreidae)

Common name: Amerikanische Koniferen-Randwanze (AT); Western Conifer Seed Bug (US)

Two specimens of Leptoglossus occidentalis were  found at two different locations in South-Western Norway in October and November 2009. The records were recently published in the Norwegian Journal of Entomology. According to the paper, the  species was first introduced to Europe from North America in 1999, and was recorded as far north as Denmark and Norway last year. There seems to be no records of the species in Sweden and Finland so far. L. occidentalis can be a pest on about 40 conifer species.  In parts of the North America the species is a household nuisance due to its habit of entering houses for the winter.

Contact persons for more information:

Management:

Environment:  Esten Ødegaard, Direktoratet for naturforvaltning, esten.odegaard@dirnat.no

Agriculture/Forestry: Håkon Petter Brække, Statens landbrukstilsyn, hakon.petter.braekke@mattilsynet.no

Science: Frode Ødegaard