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Bark Beetle

Bark beetles, family Scolytidae, are common pests of conifers and some attack broadleaf trees. Several hundred species occur in the United States. The most common species infesting pines in California are the western pine beetle (Dendroctonus brevicomis), engraver beetles (Ips spp.), and the red turpentine beetle (Dendroctonus valens). Cedar and cypress bark beetles (Phloeosinus spp.) attack arborvitae, Chamaecyparis, cypress, and redwoods. Oak ambrosia beetles (Monarthrum spp.) and oak bark beetles (Pseudopityophthorus spp.) attack oaks and certain other broadleaves including California buckeye and tanbark oak. Shothole borer(Scolytus rugulosus) attacks damaged trunks of many broadleaved tree species, including English laurel, fruit trees, and hawthorn. The European elm bark beetle (Scolytus multistriatus) feeds only on elms and vectors the Dutch elm disease fungus. Other common wood-boring pests in landscapes include clearwing moths (family Sesiidae) (for more information, see Pest Notes: Clearwing Moths, listed in Suggested Reading), longhorned borers (Cerambycidae), and roundheaded borers (Buprestidae).


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