Spruce bark beetles hijack their host tree’s chemical defenses, transforming them into potent weapons against fungal threats.

This is because the beetle can break down the plant-derived compounds (phenolic glucosides) via a water-mediated process ...

Q: I recently noticed a black, tar-like patch on my tree trunk, though it’s not tacky like actual tar. Are these insect eggs? Dried sap? Do I try to scrape it off? The tree has lichen but I don’t ...

Spruce bark is rich in phenolic compounds that protect trees from pathogenic fungi. A research team at the Max Planck ...

Bark beetles convert spruce tree defenses into more potent antimicrobials to protect themselves, but a fungus can neutralize ...

The list of diseases attacking trees in the Pacific Northwest grows every year. A pathogen new to Pierce County brings an added concern: It can injure people. A research project using citizen ...

If you take a close look at some of the more established trees in your landscape, you may notice something you cannot seem to describe – it may look to you like a kind of fungus on your tree trunk. Is ...

Bark beetles may use receptors in their antennae to detect and feast on fungus-infected trees. The Eurasian spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus) – found in Europe, Asia and some parts of Africa – ...

The list of diseases attacking trees in the Pacific Northwest grows every year. A pathogen now found in Bellingham brings an added concern: It can injure people. A research project using citizen ...

I came across this tree in nearby woods recently and while I have an idea that is a burl on a cherry tree, I wondered if one of our readers who had a career in forestry could offer me more specifics ...

Spruce bark beetles use the plant defense compounds in spruce bark as a protective mechanism. After feeding, they metabolize ...