Brutal Western Unpaired Bark Beetle

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Western unpaired bark beetle is very harmful to stone fruit and pome crops, damaging absolutely healthy trees. However, he often attacks some forest species. Young and middle-aged trees mainly suffer from the invasions of this pest - this feature distinguishes it from other varieties of bark beetles. The trees damaged by fierce parasites quickly weaken, and numerous tinder fungi begin to appear on them

Meet the pest

The western unpaired bark beetle is not a particularly attractive beetle, painted in reddish-brown tones. Male pests reach about 2 mm in size, and females - 3.5 mm. Rather flat males are endowed with small tubercles in front, and small punctures can be seen on their scutes. The strongly convex elytra of the pests are equipped with rather coarse punctures. Both the elytra and scutes are covered with tiny, trailing hairs.

Unlike males, the body of females is characterized by a wide-cylindrical shape, and their strongly convex scutes are covered with tubercles located in concentric circles. And in front of the females, you can see a rather large number of large tubercles. Elytra of pests covered with rows of large punctation are uniformly rounded posteriorly. Antennae with legs in pests of both sexes are painted in yellowish tones, and their little white legless larvae are incredibly soft.

Wintering of western unpaired bark beetles takes place under tree bark, and they usually winter in small groups. And in the spring, harmful parasites mate and lay eggs in the wood of branches and trunks. Most often this happens with the onset of April - it is during this period that the females begin to make new moves in the growing trees. Young bugs are concentrated in the uterine passages made by them in the trees. There they subsequently remain and winter.

For a year, only one generation of gluttonous bark beetles manages to develop. In this case, the bugs do not die after laying eggs - they often lay eggs again.

In some cases, trees attacked by Western unpaired bark beetles are additionally affected by sapwoods - such a nuisance ultimately leads to the final death of fruit crops.

How to fight

In gardens where stone fruit and pome crops are grown, it is necessary to observe not only all the most important agrotechnical rules, but also all the rules for caring for fruit trees. In no case should an excess of nitrogen-containing fertilizers be allowed - it often leads to fattening of fruit crops.

In early spring, even before the departure of western unpaired bark beetles, it is necessary to cut out heavily damaged and dry branches and burn them promptly. Prematurely dead trees also need to be uprooted and put on fire.

Immediately, as soon as the apple trees bloom, the trees in the garden are sprayed with the preparations "Fufanon", "Karbofos" or "Decis". Just around this time, the years of bugs start.

When tiny bugs begin to get out from under the bark, the trees are treated with Metaphos or Chlorophos, abundantly wetting the branches with the trunks. And a couple of weeks after the first treatment, a second one is also carried out - however, it will be expedient only in the case of a massive distribution of Western unpaired bark beetles in the garden.

Excellent help in the fight against pests and injections - they are done in the course of pests, using "Actellik" or "Decis" as an active preparation. As a rule, 2 ml of the product is spent for each square meter of trees.

In addition, you can fight Western unpaired bark beetles and by spraying with "Trichlorol-5" - such treatments are best carried out, starting from the moment the tiny buds bloom and up to the stage of exposing the inflorescences.