Dendroctonus ponderosae larvae survive mainly on the phloem of the tree which they inhabit. They feed in lines perpendicular to the egg galleries in which they were hatched. Directly after pupation within the oval cells, adults feed on fungal spores that other beetles have introduced into the tree, as well as additional tree tissues. Adults later feed on the bark of the tree as they make their way from the oval cells out into the open.

Plant Foods: wood, bark, or stems; sap or other plant fluids

Other Foods: fungus

Primary Diet: herbivore (Lignivore, Eats sap or other plant foods); mycophage