Ambrosia Beetles, Platypus spp. Ips engraver beetles kill more pine timber in the South than any other forest insect, with the exception of the southern pine beetle. Ips beetles usually attack injured, dying, or recently felled trees and fresh logging debris.
Infestations are particularly common in trees weakened by drought or lightning strikes.
Identifying the Insect. They are distinguished from other bark beetles by their scooped-out posterior with 4 to 6 spines on each side. Larvae have white bodies with orange-brown heads and are legless. Pupae are waxy-white and similar to adults in size. Identifying the Injury.