Study of dispersal of eight-toothed spruce bark beetle Ips typographus L., 1758 to evaluate the effectiveness of different beetles marking methods

The article presents studies on the dispersal of the eight-toothed spruce bark beetle Ips typographus L., 1758, as a possible vector of phytopathogenic organisms (bacteria, fungi, nematodes). The migration directions of the Ips genus bark beetles are important for assessing the risks associated with their spread and impact on the ecosystem. Two methods were used to mark the bark beetle imagoes: marking with fluorescent powder and marking with a notch on the elytra slope. Collection of imagoes in the forest cenosis and a secondary collection of the marked bark beetles were carried out using pheromone traps of the barrier-funnel type, inside which a species-specific attractant was placed to attract the bark beetle. The experiment was performed in the Republic of Karelia in open biocenoses during the active flight period. Both fluorescent powder-marked and notched adults were recorded in traps during the secondary collection. When studying the dispersal of bark beetles, pheromone traps were placed in the southwest direction up to 5 pieces at intervals of 2 km over a length of 12 km. In total, as a result of the two-year experiment, out of 2132 marked individuals of the eight-toothed spruce bark beetle (notch 1350, fluorescent powder 782), 137 beetles (7%) were recaptured. The greatest number of beetles, both powder-marked and notched, were captured at a distance of 1–2 km in the southwest direction, and the maximum flight range was recorded in a trap installed in this direction at 6 km. Bark beetles are largely oriented towards flying in the southwest direction, which is due to the prevailing wind rose in the area where the studies were conducted. Fluorescent powder and notches on the the beetles’ elytra slope are an acceptable method of marking bark beetles for their identification.

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