Pityokteines curvidens

The silver fir bark beetle belongs to the most dangerous pests of fir. The adult reaches a length of 2.5-3.0 mm. Silver fir bark beetle develops under the bark of thicker and older trunks of fir trees. It colonizes mainly lower parts of trunks and lets upper part of the crown for feeding of two other related species. It swarms in March-May. Females and larvae feed a typical gallery system in the phloem. Most frequently, it has a shape of the capital block letter X. Maternal galleries are about 5-10 cm long and 1 mm wide. They are mostly in the bark, but also visible on the wood. Larvae excavate galleries up to 7 cm long along fibres in the bark first, and later in sapwood. At the places with a thinner bark, the larvae bore 3-4 mm deep into wood before pupating.