Those white spots are tiny scale insects feeding on the smooth bark of European beech, and in the long run they can open the door to beech bark disease that weakens or kills the tree. Beeches themselves are a cornerstone of the Small Carpathians: they shape the cool, shady microclimate of the hills, build deep humus‑rich soils, and feed whole food webs with their leaves and nuts, from soil fungi and spring wildflowers to beetles, birds and large mammals that depend on intact Carpathian beech forests. In this low mountain range above Bratislava and the surrounding wine villages, beech‑dominated woods are the “default” natural forest type, part of the wider Carpathian beech belt recognised as globally important for biodiversity, carbon storage and long‑term forest continuity since the last Ice Age.