This survey is just for exotic Ips beetles which would post a serious threat to pines in Virginia. The recent discovery of Tomicus piniperda in the Midwest illustrates the risk that is at hand with the possible introduction of exotic bark beetle species into North America. The pest status of the species listed above, in Europe and the Mediterranean, ranges from severe to minor. What impact they would have in the coniferous forests of the U.S. is unknown. The principal host of Ips typographus , the most destructive bark beetle species in Europe, is Norway spruce, yet it has also been reported to attack lodgepole pine.
Pine trees are the only hosts of I. sexdentatus .
Trapping for these bark beetle species around ports of entry in Virginia, specifically near Portsmouth, Richmond and Dulles, will allow for early detection of new introductions. This would improve our ability to contain the insects and devise management actions that would be easier and cheaper to carry out. Waiting 5 years or not sampling at all could lead to introductions with extensive spread of the exotic species geographic range. At that time, management efforts would be much more costly. Pheromones have been identified, and baiting strategies have been devised in Europe, for both Ips spp.