Overview:

Ips typographus, the eight-toothed spruce bark beetle, is the most serious and destructive pest of spruce trees (Picea spp.)  Formerly absent from the UK, a small establishment of Ips typographus was detected for the first time in Kent in 2018. Recent trapping campaigns by Forest Research and the Université libre de Bruxelles provide evidence that the beetle is dispersing hundreds of kilometres from outbreaking European populations, including across the English Channel. However, uncertainty remains around the precise areas of origin of Ips typographus populations in England. Identifying the origin and invasion routes of the beetle is crucial for implementing preventive measures.

A Helikite (pictured above) will be used in France/Belgium as a means of trapping Ips typographus dispersing at high altitudes. A Helikite combines a high-altitude, tethered balloon with a kite, pushed up by both helium and wind. We have attached a lightweight cross vein trap with a pheromone lure to the base of the kite.