bark beetle

bark beetle

n.

Any of various small cylindrical beetles of the family Scolytidae that burrrow along the surface wood directly beneath the bark of trees, causing extensive damage.

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bark beetle

n

(Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Animals) any small beetle of the family Scolytidae, which bore tunnels in the bark and wood of trees, causing great damage. They are closely related to the weevils

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bark′ bee`tle
n.

any of numerous small, cylindrical beetles of the family Scolytidae that burrow under the bark of hardwood trees, leaving intricate tracings on the wood.

[1860–65]

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

bark beetle - small beetle that bores tunnels in the bark and wood of trees; related to weevils beetle - insect having biting mouthparts and front wings modified to form horny covers overlying the membranous rear wings family Ipidae, family Scolytidae, Ipidae, Scolytidae - large family of bark-boring or wood-boring short-beaked beetles; very destructive to forest and fruit trees Dutch-elm beetle, Scolytus multistriatus - a vector of the fungus causing Dutch elm disease Dendroctonus rufipennis, spruce bark beetle - small beetle that likes to bore through the bark of spruce trees and eat the cambium which eventually kills the tree; "the spruce bark beetle is the major tree-killing insect pest of Alaska spruce forests"