Page 98 - Florida Pest Control Examinations

BARK BEETLE BARK BEETLE

Photo Courtesy of UNIVAR Photo Courtesy of UNIVAR

1.Antenna- short and clubbed 6.Thorax-
2.Eyes - 2 7.Petiole- none BARK BEETLE
3.Head - small 8.Abdomen- large 1 6 8
4.Legs- 6 9.Color- dark brown to black
5.Wings- covered by hard elytra 10.Other- small sized beetle

Life Cycle
Once inside a tree, a brood gallery is created where eggs are laid. The
eggs hatch into larvae, which then expand the gallery deep into the 3 5
wood where the larvae will overwinter. They eventually turn into pupae
and emerge as adults during the second summer or fall. Photo Courtesy of UNIVAR
BARK BEETLE
Actual size 1/4”
About 1/4th inch in size, these destructive beetles carve tunnels through the bark and into the
soft inner wood of trees. There are actually many different species of Bark Beetles, and some
are quite specific as to the types of trees that they will infest. The Southern Pine, Black Turpen-
tine, and several Ips are major problems in Florida.

Bark beetle tunnels can also harbor fungus, hastening the death of the tree. They especially
go after sick or weakened trees, becoming a real problem in drought years, but can also attack
relatively healthy trees as well. Bark beetles do not infest lumber in houses, but may enter by
their attraction to lights.

1.Antenna- short 6.Thorax
2.Eyes- compound 7.Petiole- none AMBROSIA BEETLE
3.Head- facing downward 8.Abdomen- elongated 6 8
4.Legs- 6 9.Color- orangish-brown to black
5.Wings- under elytra 10.Other- does not eat wood
Life Cycle
The male creates a gallery in the tree, and mates with a single female. Both
then tunnel further into the tree and introduce a fungus in the tunnels, which
serves as the primary food for the adults and young. They do not actually feed 3 4
upon the wood itself. The eggs hatch into larvae which move around in the
tunnels until forming a pupal cell. Once they hatch, the new adults leave the
tree by way of the original entrance hole. Pennsylvania Dept. of Agriculture
Photo Courtesy of Jim Stimmel
AMBROSIA BEETLE Actual size 1/6”

Ambrosia Beetles bore into the trunks and large branches of trees, causing economic damage
to the lumber. They normally attack recently felled trees or standing newly dead trees, as they
require a high moisture content. Ambrosia Beetles will not get into decaying wood or dried
lumber. There are four species found in Florida.

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