Notes on the incidence and host preference of Dendroctonus punctatus (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) in spruce forests near Prince George, BC

Dendroctonus punctatus (LeConte) was found to be common, but cryptic, in a survey of spruce stands near Prince George, BC. Characteristics of stands and attacked trees varied considerably, and attacked trees did not differ from healthy trees in the same stand in telms of age, height, or diameter. Attacked trees were normally isolated, but along the edges of two small gaps caused by the root disease-causing fungus, Inonotus tomentosus (Fr.:Fr.) S.Teng, we found three and four attacked trees, respectively. All other stands where we found attacks had a high incidence of tomentosus root disease, but we found only two attacked trees which were actually infected by the fungus. The majority of attacked trees displayed basal resinosis, which appeared to be caused by a stain-causing, unidentified pathogen.Key words: boreal spruce beetle; root disease; Inonotus tomentosus; host selectio