Ips acuminatus & Ips typographus.How to spot it in time?

Bark beetles are a group of insects that belong to the family Curculionidae and the subfamily Scolytinae. These insects feed on the bark and wood of conifers, especially pine and spruce. Bark beetles can cause serious damage to forest plantations, causing tree dieback and death.

In this article, you will learn about two of the most common and dangerous species of bark beetle in Ukraine: the treetop bark beetle (Ips acuminatus) and the typographical bark beetle (Ips typographus), which are worth knowing to keep trees healthy for decades and longer.

The top bark beetle (Latin Ips acuminatus) is a beetle 2.5-3.7 mm long. The body of the insect is cylindrical, dark brown in colour. The larva is up to 4 mm long.

It damages the bark and upper branches of pine trees, usually attacking branches with thin bark and trees weakened by snow and wind. There is a danger of massive reproduction of the treetop bark beetle in the event of drought, tree damage or other adverse climatic factors that can cause disease or tree death.

The larvae of the top bark beetle are translucent, white in colour, and during the winter the larvae and pupae remain under the bark. If the plant is well saturated with moisture, it resists the treetop bark beetle as well as the typographical bark beetle. As a result of climate change and rising temperatures, pine trees are becoming more vulnerable to attack by the treetop bark beetle (Ips acuminatus) and the typographical bark beetle (Ips typographus).

The top bark beetle (Latin Ips acuminatus)

The typographical bark beetle (Lat: Ips typographus) is a black-brown insect, shiny, 4.2 to 5.5 mm long, with a large tubercle in the middle of the front of the forehead.The elytra are cylindrical, brown in colour and shiny. Near the end of the elytra, you can see a matte depression covered with tiny punctures, the depression is called a “wheelbarrow”. Four pairs of teeth are located along the edges of the wheelbarrow. The typographical bark beetle has yellow antennae. The typographical beetle attacks healthy spruce trees, but also fir and pine. The young beetles erode the bark, gnawing out 6 to 12 cm long passages. Young beetles and larvae overwinter under the bark.  If a pine or spruce tree has dried up, it means that there is a lot of bark beetle in the litter within a radius of 3 metres around the dried tree. The typographical bark beetle settles in the area of thick and transitional bark.

The following signs of the treetop bark beetle and the typographical bark beetle activity can be identified:

The needles of the affected tree become dull, then turn yellow, brown, and begin to fall off;

-Small round holes or passages in the bark can be seen parallel to the axis of the tree;

-The crowns of the trees turn red.

– You may notice sawdust near the trunk or fallen branches.

If you notice at least one of these signs, do not waste time and call us at +380632851405, because timely assistance will help keep your green spaces healthy, and our team will find the most effective solution to the problem. Only you can make the first step towards preserving green spaces!