Spruce Bark Beetles - Ask Extension
Can you tell me if the Spruce Bark Beetles are still in the Anchorage/Eagle River areas? It’s been two years since I last had my trees sprayed at my...
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Spruce Bark Beetles #867514
Asked May 08, 2024, 5:21 AM EDT
Can you tell me if the Spruce Bark Beetles are still in the Anchorage/Eagle River areas? It’s been two years since I last had my trees sprayed at my home in Eagle River. If they are no longer in the area, I won’t need to spray again this year. Thank you for your help.
Anchorage County Alaska
Expert Response
Hi Joan,
The past two summers we have seen a decline in spruce beetle active damage in the Anchorage area. There still are some pockets of activity around the municipality, but not nearly as much as we were seeing earlier in the outbreak. Spruce beetle is a native species so it is always around, but sometimes their population levels build up and cause more damage than is typical, which is what we were seeing during this outbreak.
Deciding whether or not to spray your spruce this year as a prevention of spruce beetle attack depends on your goals for your yard and the level of risk you find acceptable. Most companies are applying products with the active ingredient carbaryl for spruce beetle prevention, which is 100% effective for two summers when applied correctly. During outbreak when beetle populations are high we do recommend sticking to an every-other spring spray schedule for those high-value trees you don't want to lose. However, as beetle populations decline, some folks are willing to accept a bit more risk, and decide to delay their spray another year. Past studies in Alaska have shown that carbaryl applications are still about 89% effective at preventing spruce beetle attack during that third summer after spraying. For some folks, that amount of risk of losing a tree is acceptable, but for other folks that risk of losing a tree may be too high and they may prefer to re-spray again this year, that decision is totally up to you.
For more information about the outbreak status and management options for spruce beetle you can visit our multi-agency spruce beetle website, https://www.alaskasprucebeetle.org/
The past two summers we have seen a decline in spruce beetle active damage in the Anchorage area. There still are some pockets of activity around the municipality, but not nearly as much as we were seeing earlier in the outbreak. Spruce beetle is a native species so it is always around, but sometimes their population levels build up and cause more damage than is typical, which is what we were seeing during this outbreak.
Deciding whether or not to spray your spruce this year as a prevention of spruce beetle attack depends on your goals for your yard and the level of risk you find acceptable. Most companies are applying products with the active ingredient carbaryl for spruce beetle prevention, which is 100% effective for two summers when applied correctly. During outbreak when beetle populations are high we do recommend sticking to an every-other spring spray schedule for those high-value trees you don't want to lose. However, as beetle populations decline, some folks are willing to accept a bit more risk, and decide to delay their spray another year. Past studies in Alaska have shown that carbaryl applications are still about 89% effective at preventing spruce beetle attack during that third summer after spraying. For some folks, that amount of risk of losing a tree is acceptable, but for other folks that risk of losing a tree may be too high and they may prefer to re-spray again this year, that decision is totally up to you.
For more information about the outbreak status and management options for spruce beetle you can visit our multi-agency spruce beetle website, https://www.alaskasprucebeetle.org/
Thank you so much for the quick and thorough response! I will spray my trees again this year. Thanks for the link. In 2026, I can check the status myself to determine if I need to spray them in 2026.
I really appreciate your response and the information.
Joan Olmstead
