The use of entomopathogenic fungi as alternative control against bark and ambrosia beetles

Bark and ambrosia beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae and Platypodinae) are serious pest group to forest and fruit trees in many countries across the world. Because they spend the most of their life inside the trees and only adults leave the trees for certain time of periods, the trees are infested by more than one species very often and adult emergence prevails a long time, chemical control of the beetles is very difficult and more than one application is needed. On the other hand, because of well-known negatives in chemical control, alternative pest control approaches are needed. From this perspective, entomopathogenic fungi may be highly suitable biological control agents for pests living inside of trees, such as bark and ambrosia beetles. The entomopathogenic fungi not only cause mortality of the beetles but also they may decrease the beetle population significantly through horizontal and vertical transportation in the galleries. Besides entomopathogenic fungi have repellent effects on bark and ambrosia beetles. On the other hand, mass production and preparation of entomopathogenic fungi is easier than some other biological agents. Currently, there are many commercial preparations registered for many insect pests in the market. Furthermore, entomopathogen fungi on bark and ambrosia beetles are observed very often in natural field conditions. In this review, the potential value of entomopathogenic fungi in the biological control of bark and ambrosia beetles has been discussed