Ambrosia beetles, belonging to the subfamilies Scolytinae and Platypodinae within the family Curculionidae, live in symbiosis with ambrosia fungi, which serve as their primary food source. These beetles are classified as secondary pests and are highly polyphagous. The aim of this thesis is to examine non-native species of ambrosia beetles in Slovenia based on existing literature and to confirm their presence in the Tržič local unit through field monitoring. The literature review focused on ten alien ambrosia beetle species recorded in Slovenia, associated fungi, and current methods for bark beetle monitoring. For the field study, two multi-funnel traps – one dry and one wet – were installed in March 2025, baited with 70 % ethanol. Monitoring continued until mid-July. The samples were analyzed at the Laboratory for forest protection at the Slovenian Forestry Institute. From individuals of the most commonly caught ambrosia beetles, fungi were isolated into pure cultures. A total of 1048 bark beetles were captured, 99,8 % of which were ambrosia beetles. The only non-native species identified was Xylosandrus germanus, which accounted for 49,8 % of the total catch. Fungal symbionts were isolated from individuals of the three most common species (X. germanus, Xyleborinus saxesenii, Anisandrus dispar) and were classified into six distinct
morphotypes (MT). From specimens of X. germanus, we isolated the fungi Didymella pomorum (MT1) and Ambrosiella grosmanniae (MT2), from specimens of X. saxesenii, we isolated Botrytis sp. (MT3) and Fusarium sp. (MT4), and from specimens of A. dispar, we isolated Fusarium sp. (MT5 and MT6).
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