Bark Beetles

Bark Beetles are small hard-bodied insects, about the size of a grain of rice (1/6 to 1/4 inches). Their appearance can vary, but they are generally black, brown or dark red. The actual beetles are rarely seen.

Damage

Bark Beetles mostly attack trees that are weakened, stressed or in decline, working their way through the bark, leaving behind tubes in the wood. Attacks can be recognized by the presence of brown boring dust, pitch tubes on the outside of the bark, galleries or tunnels under the bark, beetle adults and larvae in the inner bark, tiny holes in the branches and trunk, and yellowing or reddening of tree crowns. Adults lay eggs in a main tunnel or just under the bark, and as the white larvae emerge, they cause additional tunneling damage.
 

Location

Bark Beetles are found throughout the United States.
 

Similar or Related Pests

Mountain Pine Beetle, Elm Bark Beetle