The Mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) usually play an important part of the ecosystem of the forest by attacking old, weakened trees or over-crowed stands by speeding the development of a younger forest. However, in the last few years hot, dry summers and mild winters along with forests filled with mature pine, have contributed to this current epidemic.
Use BeetleBlock™ Verbenone to help prevent attack of the Mountain pine beetle. BeetleBlock Verbnone can also repel:
Western Pine beetle - Dendroctonus brevicomis
Red Turpentine beetle - Dendroctonus valens
(These other beetles require different application strategies, so if you plan on using Verbenone for these beetles, please give us a call).
NOTE: Mountain pine beetle will attack almost all species of pines and has recently been known to attack Jackpine/Lodgepole hybrids and Scotch pine.
BeetleBlock™ Verbenone is the anti-aggregation (repellant) pheromone used by the Pine beetle. BeetleBlock™ Verbenone signals other pine beetles that they need to find another area to occupy because these trees are full. The beetles will move through a treated area and continue to fly until they find a suitable tree or die in the process.
Life Cycle of MPB
MPB normally have a one-year life cycle but in colder climates and in higher elevations they have the potential to over winter and adapt to a two or three year life cycle. If they have a life cycle greater than one year they will still only have one clutch of eggs. This indicates that the beetles can adapt to climate changes in order to survive. Generally, in late summer, adult females emerge when ambient air temperature exceeds approximately 16ºC or 61ºF. The adults are about about 5 mm (1/4”) long when they bore out through the bark and fly away from the infested pine trees. Once the female pioneer beetle begins burrowing in a suitable tree she releases an attractive aggregation pheromone that will attract both males and females. A mass attack will weaken the trees making easier for beetles to overcome the trees natural defense of pitching the beetles out.
The female beetles tunnel into pine trees and lay eggs in vertical galleries under the bark. In the galleries, females mate with males and lay eggs individually along the sides of the gallery. Female MPBs will lay approximately 60 eggs.
After about two weeks, the eggs hatch; the grub-like larvae make horizontal galleries and over winter under the protective bark. The larvae resume feeding in spring and grow up to 7 mm in length. They can resist -35° temperatures for several days in the winter months. Larvae pupate in the spring and emerge as adults from July to September.
Part of the destructiveness of MPB is the transmission of blue-stain fungi from the beetle to the tree. The spores of these fungi are brought into the tree by adult beetles during colonization. Fungi grow within the tree and together with the beetles feeding, weaken and eventually kill the tree. This mutual network of beetle galleries and blue stain fungi disrupts the movement of water within the tree and rapidly kills it. The fungi give a blue-grey appearance to the sapwood.
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How do I use BeetleBlock™ Verbenone on my trees?
BeetleBlock™ Verbenone comes in a rectangular pouch roughly the size of a thin deck of cards. The Verbenone diffuses through the plastic membrane and is released into the surrounding area. The release rate is effected by the surrounding air temperature; the warmer the air the higher the elution rate. Wind speed and direction influence where the pheromone plume will go. BeetleBlock™ products are volatile chemicals and insects can only ‘sense’ these chemicals from a down wind position. Use the wind factor to your advantage, if possible.
It is also important to note that our BeetleBlock™ Verbenone is good for the entire season and does not require a midseason lure change. To ensure effective coverage of your trees, please see our deployment strategies and diagrams. Simply staple BeetleBlock™ to the north side of the tree, as high as you can reach.
CLICK TO VIEW THE AP LABEL FOR BEETLEBLOCK™ VERBNEONE
Pine beetle infested trees
The culprit: Pine beetles
The solution: BeetleBlock™
Verbenone
Synergy Semiochemicals Corp 604-454-1122 synergy@semiochemical.com
Developed by Dick Halsey and Phil Mocettini, USDA Forest Service, the ‘Hundle Hammer’ can make application of BeetleBlock™ easier if you have a lot of devices to put up. Click here to see how you can make one
