Striped Ambrosia Beetle Biological Control

Trypodendron lineatum (Oliver)

From: Bellows, Thomas S. ,Carol Meisenbacher, and Richard C. Reardon, 1998, Biological Control of Arthropod Forest Pests of the Western United States: A Review and Recommendations, USDA, FS, FHTET-96-21.

Origin: Holarctic.

Range in North America: Throughout North America, from Alaska and Newfoundland south to New Mexico and North Carolina.

Plant hosts and damage: Most species of Abies, Larix, Picea, Pinus, Pseudotsuga, Thuja, Tsuga. Damage is usually limited to felled, injured, or weakened trees.

Natural Enemies: Few natural enemies have been reported directly from this species. The predaceous clerid Thanasimus formicarius (L.) is attracted to the pheromone of T. lineatum (Tommeras 1988). This predator is attracted to pheromes of other bark beetles on which it is known to prey, and it's attraction to T. lineatum pheromone indicates that it may be a predator of that species also. The fungus Beauveria bassiana (Bals.) Vuill., when sprayed on logs or soil, will infect adults of T. lineatum, causing up to 100% mortality (Prazak 1991).

Pest Status: Trypodendron lineatum is the most damaging of the ambrosia beetles in the West (Dyer and Wright 1967, Furniss and Carolin 1977). Damage is usually in felled or stored timber, or in weakened or damaged trees. Populations can also build up on slash. The larval galleries degrade the lumber value of infested timber.

Biological Control: No projects targeting this species have been reported. Few natural enemies have been reported.

Recommendations: Controlling damage by this species is usually a matter of processing felled timber in a timely manner. Felled trees can be protected by chemical treatments with insecticides (Furniss and Carolin 1977), pine oil (Dubbel 1992), or pathogenic fungi (Prazak 1991). Biological control probably plays an important role in limiting natural populations, as with other bark beetles, but in such favorable situations as stored logs and felled trees populations can increase and cause damage. Opportunities for enhancing biological control in these situations appears limited, except perhaps by spraying with the pathodenic fungi B. bassiana.

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