Trees of Britain are under threat from a variety of diseases and pests that do serious damage and even kill trees. One of these pests is the big spruce bark beetle (Dendroctonus micans) which found in forests and woodland right throughout Europe. It targets the fir tree, as the name suggests by laying eggs under the bark. The larvae grow eating the inner bark layer, weakening and often killing the tree.
As with some other pests, the beetle was accidentally introduced into the country in 1982, most likely in a shipping of timber from overseas. First spreading in the west of England and Wales, eventually expanding to the south of Scotland. If you spot any sign in your garden, contact a Tree Surgeon Essex at https://www.benchmarklandscapeltd.co.uk/tree-surgeon-essex/
The damage caused by the beetles varies and if caught in time, the tree can be saved if the bark can be salvaged before the tree dies. The tree will die if there have been several years of continuous attacks, in which large populations inhabit the area under the bark. Beetles tend to move to a nearby tree once the tree has been killed. There is no variety of pine safe, because the beetles will proliferate across all species found in the UK.
Signs of spruce bark beetle attacks include browning foliage that covers some or all of the crowns of trees and small groups of trees dying next to each other as the female beetles dig into the bark to lay their eggs. The tubes may be white, beige, brown or even purple in colour. Resin bleed and loose bark are further signs of the spruce bark beetle.