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NEW BUG
ON THE BLOCK!
The
Turpentine
Beetle
Hits
Pine
Brook
Hills
By Jo Noble
The Red Turpentine
Beetle (Dendroctonus Valens to its friends) has made its appearance in Pine
Brook
Hills.
Although it is larger than the Mountain Pine Beetle, it is not as toxic to
the tree as it does not spread blue stain fungus. Too, it doesn’t tunnel
the way the pine beetle does, but instead remains in a generalized area.
The little critter is 1/4 to 3/8 inch long and can be red, copper, or
brown. They attack the inner bark of root collar and stump areas up to six
feet from the ground. You’d never know they were there except for the pitch
tubes they create to provide fresh air for breathing and boring dust
disposal. These pitch tubes are quite resiny, speckled with bark, and look
like red popcorn.
Like other bark
beetles, Red Turpentine Beetles attack trees wounded or stressed by
construction activities like paving, regarding, trenching or root
smothering. So, damage can be prevented by avoiding these activities within
forty to fifty feet of the large pines.
Beetle activity can
be mitigated by a series of management practices: watering, fertilizing,
trapping out the beetles (using pheromone traps) and insecticide treatment
of the attacked stems. Probably the most important practice is to water the
trees to keep them healthier so bark beetles of any species aren’t
successful in either attacking the tree or in laying eggs inside the tree.
Prevention is the
most effective method of managing wood-boring insects; in most instances it
is the only available control. Avoid injuries to roots and trunks.
Irrigation may be important during dry months in drought years. Irrigate
when appropriate (and possible) around the outer canopy, not near the
trunk. Avoid frequent, shallow watering. Also, dense stands of susceptible
trees should be thinned to increase their vigor and ability to withstand an
attack.
If you have the Red
Turpentine Beetle on just one or two trees, you can remove a section of the
bark and dig the little critter and the larvae out. If it is a large group
of trees, it is best to call in a professional for advice.
Jo
Noble is a volunteer naturalist with Boulder County Open Space
From The Pine
Brook Press, Spring, ‘01 |
