Insects

How fast do bark beetles develop? When does the spring swarming begin? Does the infestation continue in autumn? And, where are currently the main risk areas for bark beetle infestation? Two new models developed at the FVA, PHENIPS-Clim and IpsRisk, now provide this information to interested forest owners in southwest Germany.

The large pine weevil (Hylobius abietis) lives in pine and spruce stands. It becomes a problem when new coniferous trees are planted on freshly created bare areas.

Depending on the time of year, there are various characteristic signs of an infestation with the European eight-toothed spruce bark beetle. During the swarming period, infestation checks focus mainly on the search for drill dust.

One way of processing infested spruce wood to protect the forest is to strip the bark off the trunks - and there are interesting approaches to this for both large and small stands.

The oak processionary moth is native to Europe. Its caterpillars, which live in gregarious clusters on oak trees, can lead to the complete defoliation of infested trees. The oak processionary moth attracts particular attention because the urticating hairs of its caterpillars can cause allergic reactions.

The quantities of bark beetle-infested timber were so high again in 2020, too, that the timely removal of the timber from the forest was not always possible. Infested logs were thus chipped as a measure to deal with the bark beetle, without the usual thermal utilisation of the woodchips. A trial was conducted in the southern Black Forest to test the effectiveness of chipping as a means of dealing with bark beetle infestation.

Besides bark beetles & Co, there are many other insects that can cause considerable damage to forests. What can be done when beetles, caterpillars or aphids are threatening the forest?

Alternative control measures can be applied to reduce wood and bark boring insects.

The most effective way of reducing bark beetle damage to conifers is "clean" forest practise.

After storm damages there is often a proliferation of wood boring species as well as bark boring species. They can do considerable economical damage.

For the correct monitoring and application of defensive measures one should identify insect pests as early as possible. Here you can see how you can identify insect pests with books or internet sites or check to see if there is an expert who can help you further.

The most important forest insects are monitored using different methods. With this information one can draw conclusions about the size of the populations, recognize hazards and take the appropriate defensive measures.