PestMedium Severity

Cypress Bark Beetle

Phleosinus species

Small bark beetles that primarily attack weakened or stressed coniferous trees, especially during drought conditions. Healthy trees can usually resist attack through sap production, but stressed trees become vulnerable to infestations that can result in tree mortality.

Peak Season: Adult activity: Spring and summer attacksPeak vulnerability: During drought or stress periodsEgg laying: Throughout warm monthsLarval development: Summer into fallMultiple generations: 1.5 generations annually
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Cypress bark beetle damage showing characteristic galleries and pitch tubes on conifer bark

Identification & Symptoms

What to Look For

Twigs yellowing, browning, and wilting at tips
Hanging dead twig tips
Small droplets of pitch below feeding areas on twigs and stems
Egg and larval galleries immediately under bark
Small entrance holes where adults have bored into bark
Broken and hollowed-out twigs from adult feeding

Potential Damage

Twig mortality from girdling galleries
Tree death in severe infestations
Weakening of tree structure from extensive tunneling
Secondary infections through beetle-created wounds
Aesthetic damage from dead hanging twigs

Lifecycle

Adults attack upper parts of weak or stressed trees in spring and summer. Adults work in pairs to construct egg galleries with uniformly spaced eggs along the sides. Larvae feed laterally from galleries, creating confused patterns under heavy infestations. Development produces 1.5 generations per year.

Professional Treatment Approach

1

Maintain tree health through proper watering during drought

2

Address stress factors: poor sites, nutritional deficiencies, root compaction

3

Imicide applications for trees at risk during beetle flight periods

4

Remove and destroy heavily infested trees to reduce breeding sites

5

Preventive Imisol treatments for high-value specimens

Recommended Mauget Products

Imicide

Professional-grade treatment specifically effective against cypress bark beetle.

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Imisol

Professional-grade treatment specifically effective against cypress bark beetle.

View Product Details

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