Eight-toothed spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus)

What does eight-toothed spruce bark beetle damage look like?

The eight-toothed spruce bark beetle is most frequently found on fallen trees as it prefers stressed and dying trees. If the population increases, the insect will move to living trees.

Symptoms include:

• Browning of the crown on live trees.
• Needles becoming lighter in colour, forming mats and often falling to the ground.
• 2-2.5mm entrance holes made by the beetles on the surface of the bark.
• Frass (sawdust-like waste material) produced by feeding larvae can be found on the bark at the base of branches and trunks.
• Woodpecker damage caused as the birds break off bark on attacked stems to feed on the larvae.

What is the eight-toothed spruce bark beetle?

The eight-toothed spruce bark beetle is a very small beetle, around 5mm long, which is cylindrical in shape, shiny and hairy, and dark brown when mature.

It is predominantly a pest of spruce, therefore plantations with only one species planted are particularly vulnerable to attack. Dramatic increases in beetle populations can then spread to neighbouring trees, including pine.

Where has the eight-toothed spruce bark beetle impacted?

The eight-toothed spruce bark beetle is found across mainland Europe and northern Asia.

It has been intercepted at UK ports in the past, but in 2018 it was found in a woodland in Kent. All host trees in the area were removed and incinerated to stop any spread. Eradication efforts were successful but it arrived again in 2021 and is found in multiple locations in Kent and East Sussex.

How did the eight-toothed spruce bark beetle get here?

We don't know how the beetle reached Kent and East Sussex, but the main risk of introduction is on wooden materials and plants. The eight-toothed spruce bark beetle is able to fly over reasonably long distances and with additional wind and air movement; they have been recorded to travel up to 43 kilometres.

What impact will the eight-toothed spruce bark beetle have?

There is currently a demarcated zone in South East England to try and prevent the movement of the beetle into more regions. This movement of spruce materials includes bark from within the demarcated area.

While the main threat is on spruce trees, in very rare and specific circumstances, the eight-toothed spruce bark beetle can be found on Scots pine or Douglas fir. 

What are we doing about it?

To combat pests and diseases like the eight-toothed spruce bark beetle we:

• Only plant native tree species that have been UK and Ireland sourced and grown. We do the same when working with partners and landowners to minimise the risk of introducing new pests like the eight toothed spruce bark beetle.
• Lobby government to improve biosecurity at border points to stop new pests arriving in the UK.
• We’re also a partner in Observatree, a project that trains volunteers to spot pests and diseases around the UK so they can alert us to any outbreaks.

What to do if you spot the eight-toothed spruce bark beetle

If you spot the signs and symptoms of this pest, report it to the plant health authorities via TreeAlert if you are in Britain or TreeCheck if you are in Northern Ireland.