The European struggle to control Ips typographus - past, present and future

The achievement of the Scandinavian campaign is seen in the swift development and unorthodox transfer of an innovative trapping technique into the management of pest populations of the spruce engraver Ips typographus without the use of pesticides. The pheromone traps proved to be far more efficient in the prevention of engraver reproduction and the reduction of beetle numbers than the cumbersome trap trees they replaced. The wholesale application of pheromone traps as an integrated part of engraver pest management is justified alone by the empirically proven benefits that result from a "surveillance with the intent to control", although appraisal of the actual impact of trapping on the population density remains scientifically ambiguous for the lack of reliable methodology. Furthermore, the campaign opens a new era in bark beetle management by stipulating for the commercial availability of pheromones and traps as well as for research on basic and applied aspects. As the years to come may show, behaviour chemistry is likely to bear more promises to engraver management than just trapping techniques.