Quick Facts Mountain Pine Beetles Karen Trofka
Jan 20, 2016
Quick Facts
Mountain Pine Beetles
Karen Trofka
Scientific Name: Dendroctonus ponderosaeSize: 1/8 -1/3 inchNative to forests in western North AmericaHave one year life cyclesWoodpeckers are theirnatural predators
The Pine Beetle
Photo taken by Joseph Trofka
Female tunnels under bark of treeMateForm vertical tube, or egg gallery,
containing about 75 eggsEggs hatch and larva tunnel away from the
egg galleryRemain under the bark during the winterBecome pupae June-JulyMid-June to September leave trees as
adults
Life Cycle
Periodic out breaks can kill millions of trees
Current outbreak has killed 1.5 million acres of trees in Colorado
Pine beetles attack large and weak or stressed trees
Mainly affect ponderosa, lodgepole, scotch, and limber pinetreesAffect Bristlecone and
pinyon pines as well
Out Breaks
Photo taken by Joseph Trofka
Range of Damage from Mountain Pine Beetles
Map from http://snr.unl.edu/invasives/images/mountain%20pine%20beetle%20map.jpg
Tree become yellow or red 10 months After a successful attack
Pitch tubes are created from the beetles
tunneling
Blue stain the on in inside of the wood is a fungus from adult beetles that help beetles kill the tree
What the Pine Beetles do to the Trees
All photos taken by Joseph Trofka
Wood remains structurally sound until five years after attack and can be used for building
Used as fuel for pellet stovesBio-fuelFirewoodBiochar
What can be Done with the Beetle Kill
Photo taken by Karen Trofka
"Can 'biochar' save the planet? " CNN Video. CNN. 30 Mar. 2009. biochar.org. Web. 29 Mar. 2010.
Helman, Christopher. "Turning Dead Trees Into Green Heat." Forbes.com. N.p., 2 Sept. 2009. Web. 12 Mar. 2010.
Leatherman, D.A., I. Aguayo, and T.M. Mehall. "Mountain Pine Beetle." Colostate.edu.Colorado State University, Apr. 2007. Web. 12 Mar. 2010.
Moscou, Jim. "Beetlemania." How the Pine Beetle is Destroying Colorado Forests. Newsweek, 2008. Web. 27 Apr. 2010. <http://www.newsweek.com/id/148297/ page/2>.
Trofka, Joseph. Interview about Mountain Pine Beetles. Private Residence. 28 Mar. 2010. Interview.
Works Consulted