Overview
- Bavaria’s annual watch has started with about 550 pheromone traps that flag the first swarms as an early warning.
- When weekly trap counts hit set levels, crews fan out to spot fresh infestations by bore dust and then fell, remove, or debark those trees fast.
- State figures show beetle damage has fallen steeply since the 2023 peak, dropping from roughly 6.3 million to 1.9 million cubic meters by 2025.
- Officials say activity has shifted from the north and east toward southern Bavaria, so hotspots now vary by region.
- The Bavarian Forest National Park reinforced its boundary zone with about 30 traps and rapid removals to shield adjacent forests, and reports 2025 damage near 8,000 cubic meters, the lowest in 25 years.