Storms are important disturbance factors in the development of forest ecosystems. They trigger definite changes in vegetation composition and hence also in the associated insect fauna. Three windthrow areas created by the storm Vivian in 1990 in alpine spruce forests were each subdivided into a cleared and an uncleared treatment. The abundance of the three most frequent beetle families (Scolytidae, Cerambycidae, and Buprestidae) was monitored with two different trap types during six summer periods within the first 10 years after the windthrow, The large supply of breeding substrate triggered a distinct increase in insect abundance and in the species richness of this guild (except for the number of buprestid species) over a period of approximately five years. The first group reaching peak numbers were the Scolytidae (in 1992), followed by the Buprestidae (1994) and then by the Cerambycidae (1996). Ips typographus, the most important bark beetle, peaked in the third season after the storm (1992). The maximum numbers of saproxylic species were trapped in June/early July. In uncleared windthrow areas beetle abundance as well as species numbers were generally higher than in cleared treatments. In the windthrow areas, cerambycid and buprestid species were 30-500 times more abundant than in an adjacent intact forest. Their species number exceeded that in the forest 2-4 times. To promote saproxylic species in general as well as endangered species of saproxylics, some parts of windthrow areas should be cleared and others left uncleared. The controversy about protecting the forest and promoting biodiversity is discussed.