A small brown ips beetle associated with pines, spruce and common in firewood, Ips Beetles are considered a minor pest to living trees. These beetles have a short, stubby body measuring approximately 4-6mm in length. The rear of the ips beetle has a rough or jagged appearance unlike a majority of beetle species that have a smooth or rounded posterior end. As the ips beetles invade tree trunks they leave a fine sawdust accumulation at the entry point. If you were to inspect the trails interior on the tree below the bark level, you would find that they lead to galleries in which a central breeding chamber and a few egg galleries are connected. It is their engraving type patterns that give them the nickname of “Engraver Beetle”. Damage is typically limited based on the number of tree infested and most commonly occurs in trees experiencing severe drought or with recent root damage. Infestations are also common in recently transplanted pines and spruces or trees experiencing recent, significant stresses. It is not uncommon for large populations to develop within slash piles created by forest management and fire mitigation efforts. When this occurs, it is not uncommon for them to move to nearby living trees. A total of eleven species of Ips Beetle are present in Colorado. Damage may range from dieback to full death of the tree. These beetles are not considered as damaging as the bark beetle species.
