Certain aspects of insect-disease relationships, especially those concerning transmission of pathogens, have been studied extensively and their significance has been well established. However, the role of diseases as factors predisposing coniferous trees to bark beetle infestation has received only minor attention. There has been little effort to determine the extent of the association between disease and bark beetle infestation, the significance of predisposing diseases in the ecology of the beetles, or the effects of disease upon the host that may increase susceptibility to beetle attack.
