Ips cembrae (large larch bark beetle)
Ips cembrae (the large larch bark beetle) is a pest of mainly larch trees.
It is considered a secondary forest pest, breeding in logs, windblown stems and dying trees. Ips cembrae has been introduced into areas where larch trees are planted (mainland UK, Netherlands, Sweden), and to date has behaved there in the same way as in its natural range. It has also been observed to occasionally breed in fallen Pinus and Picea species when there is a limited availability of larch hosts.
It is considered a much less damaging pest than Ips typographus.
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) conducts surveys annually for the presence of Ips cembrae through a network of Fixed Observation Points situated in forests across the country. These survey reports are submitted to the European Commission and the other EU Member States and are the basis for the maintenance of Ireland’s Protected Zone.
Over a long number of years of surveillance, Ips cembrae has never been detected in Irish forests. However, following the recent discovery (August, 2024) by DAFM of three Ips cembrae beetles in one of the its pheromone traps at an Irish port, the export of conifer logs from the Pest Free Area of Scotland into Ireland has been paused on a precautionary basis.
Relevant publication
Further information
- Forest owners should be vigilant for unusual ill-health in trees and report any concerns to forestprotection@agriculture.gov.ie or by using www.treecheck.net.