Six toothed bark beetle

Six toothed bark beetle (Pityogenes chalcographus). This 2 mm small beetle belongs to the bark beetles (Curculionidae). The beetle is dark brown to black and digs tunnels in conifers, preferably in Norway spruce and the Larch Tree (Larix deciduas). This beetle is found throughout Europe.
The Six toothed bark beetle primarily affects the tops of trees; unlike the European spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus) and the Larch bark beetle (Ips cembrae), which affect the entire tree.
Six toothed bark beetles swarm around the tops of Norway spruce trees. Females bore tunnels in the branches and lay eggs in recesses adjacent to the main corridor, creating a star-shaped pattern.
Adult Six toothed bark beetles hibernate in the ground; eggs are moderately hardy, allowing them to hibernate as well.
Infestation by the Six toothed bark beetle is often noticed too late. There is no sawdustlike boring dust (frass), as is common in other bark beetles. It is only when the trees yellow and lose needles that the presence of the beetles is noticed. Especially during dry summers and young plantings of conifers dry out quickly, the Six toothed bark beetle can become a major pest and destroy plantings in a short period of time.
Six toothed bark beetles often appears when the tree is already infested by other insects.