Scientific name: Chaetoptelius vestitus
Family: Scolytidae

DESCRIPTION AND LIFE CYCLE

This is a small beetle (3 mm), brownish black in colour, with stiff bristles on the elytra. In April, the adult starts boring tunnels on the tips of young shoots near the spot where it overwintered and in May, it destroys newly formed buds. It creates a tunnel in the shoot from the tip to the base. It lays its eggs in these tunnels, from which the hatching larvae will create subsidiary tunnels perpendicular to the mother tunnel. These tunnels spread towards both directions (right and left) creating a characteristic pattern. The tunnels are created three times a year, as many as the insect generations (in early April, June and December).

It attacks mostly weak and sickly trees and those suffering from lack of water which cannot prevent insect invasion by drowning them with their juices. When the insect population is significant, the damage of young shoots and buds affects current vegetation as well as the subsequent year’s yield.

CHEMICAL TREATMENT

Treatment with suitable pesticides as soon as nut appears (from 15 April). Repeated one week later.

CULTIVATION

• Strengthening of the tree by irrigation, fertilizing, pruning, etc.
• Removal and burning of sick, weak and shrivelled branches
• Coating of the trunk and main branches of shrivelled and weak trees with Bordeaux mixture (450 g copper sulphate and 900 g lime in 7 l water)
• Placement of large semi-shrivelled twigs near the base of the trees using them as traps for laying eggs 3 times per year (in early April, June and December) and burning them 1-2 months later.

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Athanasia Chatziperi, Agronomist, Attica Region