The pine wood nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus (Steiner and Buhrer) Nickle (PWN) is the causal agent of “Pine wilt disease” affecting coniferous forests, and since its detection in 1999 in Portugal, has obliged the European Union to take action to prevent its spread (Decision 2006/133/CE). One of the main measures applied is the International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures ISPM No. 15 (ISPM 15). Although this Standard is applied in the wood industry, wood packaging materials have been found infested with PWN, perhaps due to inadequate application of the Standard, post-treatment contamination, or resistance forms of the nematode. In the past, conventional heat treatment has been evaluated, and in this paper, the aim has been to continue with the assessment of the methodology applied in ISPM 15, evaluating the efficacy of microwave treatments against Pine Wood Nematode. The tests were carried out using Pinus pinaster samples (in two dimensions) and subjected to different power and types of microwaves (multi- and single-mode), taking as reference the temperature and time proposed in the Standard (60º C during 1 minute). The test blocks used were cut from green and dry wood. The results showed that the most effective microwave device is the multimode for both sizes of blocks tested. However, differences in power settings was observed depending on the wood dimensions.

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