Update on the situation of Ips typographus in the United Kingdom
Ips typographus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae - EU Annexes) was first found in the United Kingdom in 2018 in Kent. Several adults were caught in a Pinus sylvestris billet trap (pile of trap logs). Further surveys discovered a breeding population on Norway spruce (Picea abies) (EPPO RS 2019/057, RS 2021/146). Eradication measures were taken, and the breeding population was eradicated. However, small numbers of adult I. typographus continued to be caught on the outbreak site in 2020 and 2021. These captures, and numerous adult I. typographus caught in pheromone traps set up across the region in response to the outbreak, indicate that incursions of adult I. typographus are occurring on a regular basis, most likely from source populations in Northern France and in Belgium.
Official measures are being applied to limit the spread of the pest. In June 2024, the demarcated area for this pest has been extended and now covers parts of Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, and Suffolk. This is in addition to existing demarcated areas in Hampshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Surrey, City of London, Greater London, West Sussex, East Sussex, Kent and Essex. Within the demarcated areas, the felling and movement of all spruce material, including trees and wood with bark, isolated bark, and wood chip with bark, is prohibited unless authorised by the Forestry Commission.
For the first time in July 2024, the pest was also reported on Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis). The finding was on a small number of unhealthy Sitka spruce trees among a stand of infested Norway spruce, also in very poor condition, on a site in West Sussex.
The situation of Ips typographus in the United Kingdom can be described as: Transient, under eradication.
Sources
Blake M, Straw N, Kendall T, Whitham T, Manea IA, Inward D, Jones B, Hazlitt N, Ockenden A, Deol A, Brown A (2024) Recent outbreaks of the spruce bark beetle Ips typographus in the UK: Discovery, management, and implications. Trees, Forests and People 16, 100508. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tfp.2024.100508
Forestry Commission (2024-07-25). Press release. New warning as Ips typographus tree pest found on new species. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-warning-as-ips-typographus-tree-pest-found-on-new-species
Inward DJ, Caiti E, Barnard K, Hasbroucq S, Reed K, Grégoire JC (2024) Evidence of cross-channel dispersal into England of the forest pest Ips typographus. Journal of Pest Science 14, 1-5. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10340-024-01763-4
A map of the demarcated area is available at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/eight-toothed-european-spruce-bark-beetle-ips-typographus