The emergence of such a bug as a bark beetle typographer in a wooden house can turn out to be a real disaster. He has long settled in the vast territories of the European part of Russia, the Far East and Siberia. Why does the bug so interfere with ordinary residents and what damage does the forest do?
The bark beetle typographer got its name for a reason. If a family pair of such insects settles in the bark of a tree , then their further vital activity will lead to the fact that the trunk will resemble the imprint of a printing machine.
Very young beetles that recently emerged from the pupa are very small in size, their bodies are soft, light brown in color. Growing up, they change color, becoming very dark and even black, with small dots on the back. The maximum height is 4.5 mm. At the tip of the body there is a recess with pointed edges, called a wheelbarrow.
The bark beetle typographer (the photo is presented in the article) lives on healthy and fallen trees, in the thickness of wooden logs, sometimes stumps. At the same time, only males participate in the exploration and search for suitable housing.
Having chosen a worthy wooden shelter, the male gnaws at a spacious cavity where 2-3 females crawl into, each of which is fertilized. After that, female individuals build a uterine passage for themselves. The tunnel, which gnaws at the bark beetle, is intended only for laying eggs. The stroke length can be up to 15 cm, while each testicle is laid out in a specially gnawed dimple. At this stage, the mission of adult beetles is over. They go outside, fly, feed on tree bark, branches, gnaw shoots. And young larvae begin to actively develop, eating everything in its path.
A gluttonous brood creates bizarre forms in which the person examined the "typographic" drawing. The stage of development of the larva lasts 60-70 days. Then adult typography beetles come out of the pupa. They are still for some time in their usual place, under the bark, and then fly out into the wild. The younger generation is ready for the mating season and sets off in search of a suitable tree. The process resumes. In the hot summer, three generations can come out successively, which completely ruin the wooden buildings and damage the forest. A healthy tree dies after 2-3 years. Trying to defend itself, it releases tar and juices into the cavity, but does not withstand constant intrusions. A wooden blockhouse turns into a pile of dust even faster.
In this regard, the struggle with the bark beetle-typographer should begin when detecting the first signs of his stay. Folk remedies are unlikely to help here. Science has established that the bark beetle typographer is sensitive to odors. During the breeding season, males secrete ferromones - odorous invoking substances. This served as the idea to use odors in traps. The method is very effective, since all the females in the district flock to the same flavor. But, unfortunately, the larvae remain in their places. Therefore, they use the cardinal method - removing bark from infected trees and burning it, cutting down a diseased shrub, annealing the territory.