Alarm in NRW: Eichen splendor beetle threatens forests - act now!

Alarm in NRW: Eichen splendor beetle threatens forests - act now!

North Rhine-Westphalia is faced with an alarming warning: the oak beetle, a dangerous pest, spreads rapidly and threatens the oak stocks in the region. Ruhr24 reports that this beetle causes significant damage by Leaves black slime traces and eats D-shaped drill holes into the bark of the trees. The Münsterland, East Westphalia, the Rhineland and the Siegerland are particularly affected.

The oak beetle has the potential to make an infected tree a source of infection for up to ten more trees within a year. The sudden occurrence of this pest requires immediate measures: Experts recommend removing infested trees from the forest by mid -May. In addition to the black mucus flow, typical signs of an infestation are also dead branches in the tree top.

causes and environmental conditions

The larvae of the oak beetle eats under the bark and can hibernate there for up to two years, which makes combating complicated. In addition to the oak beetle, the oak beetle in the region is also present, which also damages the wood by creating feeding. The SDW states that Germany has more than 30,000 types of insect, many of which occur in the forest. While the majority of these insects are harmless to the forests, some tend to increase mass increases and can cause considerable damage.

The role of pests in the ecosystem

forest pests not only include insects such as caterpillars of different types of butterflies and certain types of beetles, but also microorganisms, viral and bacterial pathogens. Interestingly, the classification of a species as a "pest" is often not correct from an ecological point of view, but is often used in practice. When combating these pests, it is important to preserve a balance in the ecosystem and to secure the health of the trees in the long term.