bark beetle
nounDefinition of bark beetle
: any of numerous beetles (family Scolytidae) that bore under the bark of trees both as a larva and as an adult
Examples of bark beetle in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Dutch elm disease is a fungoid killer that is spread by the way of bark beetles. — Paulina Smolinski, USA TODAY, "Here's how the National Park Service is saving D.C.'s trees from Dutch elm disease," 19 Aug. 2019 In southeast Alaska, the normally lush forests are falling prey to spruce bark beetles and hemlock sawflys, which are taking advantage of a lack of rainfall and higher than average temperatures. — Matthew Cappucci And Andrew Freedman, chicagotribune.com, "More freak weather comes to Alaska, which has had an unprecedented summer," 19 Aug. 2019 Burn permits for spruce bark beetle slash were also suspended, and on Friday, the city added portable outdoor fireplaces to the current burn ban. — Jeff Parrott, Anchorage Daily News, "Anchorage bans all outdoor burning and warns of health risks heading into a hot, smoky weekend," 29 June 2019 The stress also made the trees more susceptible to pathogens and insects, like bark beetles. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "California’s Drought Killed Almost 150 Million Trees," 10 July 2019 Colorado Aspen: Avalanche debris in the state’s high country could provide fresh breeding grounds for the forest-destroying bark beetle, but a U.S. Forest Service supervisor says there’s little the agency can do to mitigate the threat. — USA TODAY, "Ink library, parking barnacles, lunar training grounds: News from around our 50 states," 9 July 2019 Higher temperatures can also change rainfall patterns, leaving some trees vulnerable to drought or pests like bark beetles. — Umair Irfan, Vox, "Restoring forests may be one of our most powerful weapons in fighting climate change," 5 July 2019 At the same time, the state is experiencing significantly more widespread wildfires, which are eating up vegetation that were dried out by the heat and spruce trees killed by spruce bark beetle, which thrive in warmer temperatures. — Tara Law, Time, "Heatwave and Wildfires in Alaska as Temperatures Hit 90 Degrees On Independence Day," 5 July 2019 Persistent drought, heat, and bark beetle infestations have combined to kill off 129 million trees across California. — Umair Irfan, Vox, "What we learned from the disasters that hammered the US in 2018," 27 Dec. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bark beetle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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