Bored to Death
Posted by Dawn Lutrell on May 16, 2006
Q: I often see what I have heard refered to as Insect "Galleries" on exposed wood - under the bark areas of trees.Are these "lines" actually caused by insects and what other insects besides Bark Beetles would cause these markings?
dawn
Habitat: forest/open woods
State: Nebraska
Habitat: forest/open woods
A: There are several kinds of beetles that live within both dead and living trees but the ones that are most likely to be what you've seen making the shallow tunnels are the bark or engraver beetles (family Scolytidae). These are small beetles, not much more than 6-8mm in length, that live just beneath the bark. Both the adults and larvae mine galleries beneath the bark and the system of tunnels they produce may be quite extensive. These beetles tend to be rather species specific (focus on a particular species) and can do more or less damage, depending on their population levels. Hope this helps you out. Thanks for asking.
John Wiessinger ( May 17, 2006)