[Bark Beetle Management Guidebook Table of Contents]
Other bark beetles
There are a wide variety of other bark beetles which affect coniferous trees in
British Columbia. They will often be noted during surveys and treatments for
mountain pine beetle, spruce beetle, and Douglas-fir beetle. While this guideline
is not intended to be an exhaustive treatise on the identification and management
of all bark beetles, some mention of other species is necessary.
Other Dendroctonus species
Other species of Dendroctonus occur in British Columbia. They include the
western pine beetle, D. brevicomis, the lodgepole pine beetle, D. murrayanae,
and the turpentine beetle, D. valens. These beetle species can resemble the major
species discussed in the body of this guideline; however, host species attacked
and egg gallery patterns differentiate them from those commonly managed.
Other Scolytid species
Engraver beetles, Ips spp., are commonly found in association with attacks by
the major Dendroctonus species. Ips beetles may also attack and kill living trees.
However, it is more common to find them in smaller diameter trees or in the
upper portions of trees attacked by mountain pine, spruce, or Douglas-fir beetle.
Attacks by Ips can be identified by the gallery pattern and by the shape of the
adult. Ips gallery patterns are star-shaped with a central chamber and 2 or 3
smaller egg galleries radiating off from it. The adult beetles are smaller than
Dendroctonus beetles and the back of the elytra have a concavity with several
small spines around the perimeter.
Ambrosia beetles are also commonly found in stands infested by other bark
beetles. These insects do not kill trees, rather they bore into the sapwood in
recently dead trees, forming “pin holes” on the surface of the wood under the
bark. The boring dust caused by ambrosia beetles is whitish in colour as opposed
to the reddish boring dust caused by bark beetles.
In most cases, the species of insect causing the damage will be apparent or
known from infestation history or initial detection surveys. If there is doubt,
samples of insects should be collected and forwarded to specialists for
identification.
[Return to top of document]
