Dendroctonus micans, the great spruce bark beetle, is a species of bark beetle native to the coniferous forests of Europe and Asia. The beetles attack economically important spruce species including Picea abies (Norway spruce) and Picea sitchensis (Sitka spruce). The adults burrow into the bark of the trees and lay eggs there. The larvae feed on the phloem under the bark; they can girdle the tree if present in large enough numbers.
The species is a serious pest of commercial forestry, and is an invasive species in many regions where it is not native, such as the United Kingdom, France, Turkey, Georgia, and North America. While its main host is spruce, it also attacks coniferous trees of other genera, including firs such as Abies sibirica (Siberian fir); pines such as Pinus sylvestris (Scots pine); the Douglas-fir Pseudotsuga menziesii, and the common larch, Larix decidua. Biological pest control has been applied using a natural predator, the beetle Rhizophagus grandis, in several countries.
