Bark Beetle
The name ‘Bark Beetle’ is given to these species because they reproduce in the inner bark of the tree. The word beetle is derived from the word bitela - little biter.
Diseased or damaged trees release certain volatile compounds called terpenes. Bark beetles have the ability to detect these compounds, and identify a suitable host tree.
Adult male and female beetles bore galleries or tubes between the inner bark and outer sapwood of the host tree, and the female then lays small, whitish, oval-shaped eggs in those galleries. The average number of eggs that the female beetle lays is around 75.
Pupation happens in or beneath the chambers at the end of the larval tunnels. The larvae form a hardened outer casing around themselves, and transform into pupae. These pupae are plump and whitish in color.
Woodpeckers are well-known enemies of bark beetles and disrupt their natural population growth.