Innovative pest sustainable control to reduce the impact of bark beetle and weevil attacks on alpine forests

The IPS project is developing an innovative sustainable control method to reduce the impact of forest insect infestations on forests. Bark beetle infestations (Ips typographus) and weevil infestations (Hylobius abietis) on various conifers are increasing, also as a result of increasingly frequent extreme events that weaken forest ecosystems. So far, there is no effective solution that could reduce these harmful effects, except to remove infested trees or trunks promptly. Our goal is to develop and test products that can reduce the impact of bark beetles and weevils by acting on their microbiome and leading to the death of the insect. These laboratory-proven products are based on plant extracts and mineral substances and are therefore ecologically neutral. They also help to protect forest ecosystems and thus contribute to waste reduction and the creation of new value chains in the sense of the circular economy.