Great spruce bark beetle

[daveindales]

Found at the base of a Sitka spruce located in garden, not forest.  Any ideas what it is? Just appeared over the last few weeks according to the client. Seems like bark dust (frass) to me, but I'm a little out of my depth here. Could it be great spruce bark beetle or something similar? Crown of tree appears normal 

[openspaceman]

1 hour ago, daveindales said:

Found at the base of a Sitka spruce located in garden, not forest.  Any ideas what it is? Just appeared over the last few weeks according to the client. Seems like bark dust (frass) to me, but I'm a little out of my depth here. Could it be great spruce bark beetle or something similar? Crown of tree appears normal 

It looks like a mixture of frass from a boring insect plus the resin exuded by the tree trying to drown them. If it really is spruce bark beetle ( a little thing with orange hairs which I haven't yet seen) then the tree will not be healthy for long.

 

In fact boring insects generally are better at spotting a vulnerable tree than we are and normally start with that, once the population explodes then all the trees in the monoculture are at risk.

[Spruce Pirate]

It looks like it might be the great spruce bark beetle (Dendroctonus micans).  It looks like a volcano hole in the bark which is one of the indicators of D. micans.  Around here Scottish Forestry are very interested in hearing about these as we're in the pest free area for timber, I'm not sure whether the FC would want to know in your part of the world, but they very well might.  Healthy trees can repel an attack from D. micans by exuding sap, but other, weaker trees in the area might succumb. The other spruce bark beetle is the eight-toothed spruce bark beetle (Ips topographus), as far as I know its only in the very south of England at the moment, but if it is moving north then FC will definitely be wanting to know about it.  As far as I know Ips doesn't leave the volcano holes, but I don't know all that much about it.

[daveindales]

I've googled the 'volcano type' holes and they do similar to my photo. I've emailed FC the photo. Not heard anything back yet.

[Dendrologen]

Looks like you are right. There is a biocontrol that FC release at affected sites. It was done where I used to work.

[Spruce Pirate]

2 hours ago, Dendrologen said:

Looks like you are right. There is a biocontrol that FC release at affected sites. It was done where I used to work.

 

Rhizophagus grandis.  It does seem to work a treat.