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Beginning in Belgium 1999, low mountain ranges of middle Europe were afflicted with the “European beech bark disease” (EBBD). It was first described by Hartig in 1878 as a complex disease where infestation of beech scale (Cryptococcus fagisuga; Hemiptera, Eriococcidae) is followed by fungal affection with Nectria coccinea and several white rot fungi. This often causes die back of mature beech trees, they tumble down and are colonised by woodbreeding beetles. Beside Belgium with 1 million cubic meter solid of beech wood (Fagus sylvatica); Luxembourg, France, and Southern Germany were affected in the last 6 years. In addition to known symptoms of EBBD, in all regions beech trees of an healthy appearance were surprisingly infested by the wood-breeding beetle Trypodendron domesticum. To understand mechanisms of this disease a chemo-ecological study was carried out, comparing the new phenomenon with the classical situation. A number of investigations of the involved beetles of the family of Scolytidae and Lymexylidae (BYERS 1992; KERCK 1976; KLIMETZEK 1984) suggest that the mechanisms of host-selection consist in the chemosensory differentiation of states of wood decay. The presence at the “border” between living and dying trees, T. domesticum turns out to be an interesting research object on xylobiont insects and physiological dying- and decaying-processes in trees. The underlying hypotheses of this work are: 1) Volatile organic compounds change successively during aging and decay of wood and characterise the most susceptible phase and breeding site for T. domesticum. 2) Volatiles released by trees afflicted by the new disease phenomenon are similar to volatiles of felled, susceptible deadwood