Pine Beetle Battle — Protecting Our Trees

The people of Boise, who love the outdoors, love the tall trees that look out over the city. The mountain pine beetle, however, hides in the trees and is a small enemy. This nasty bug can do a lot of damage to our beloved pines, so we need to be extra careful to keep them healthy.

If you think your property has pine beetles, do not wait to call a professional Exterminator in Boise. Finding and treating problems quickly are very important if you want to keep your trees from getting worse. 

What are mountain pine beetles?

Imagine a bug that is less than a rice grain in size but has a lot of devastating abilities. Mountain pine beetles eat pine trees and release a fungus that stops the trees from transporting water and nutrients around. This makes the tree weaker, which makes it more likely to die.

Signs of trouble that you need to look out for.

If your pine is being attacked, how can you tell? Keep an eye out for these signs:

1. Pitch tubes.

These reddish-brown spots on the bark are the beetle’s sap and boring dust. Often, you can find groups of them near the tree’s base or on its branches. Once you see pitch tubes, you know that bugs are busy eating the tree.

2. Fading needles.

With age, the tree’s needles change color from green to yellow or red. This is because the tree can not make enough chlorophyll to keep its needles alive. Changes in the color of your pine leaves could mean that beetles are getting into your tree.

3. Thinning crown.

The crown looks thin because the upper branches lose their leaves. Another sign that the tree is weak is this. Because the bugs hurt the tree’s circulatory system, it can not get water and food to its upper branches. 

How to keep your pines healthy.

A strong offense is the best defense you can have! Here is what you can do to help your pines:

1. Thinning of pine trees.

You can give the remaining pines more room and light by cutting down some trees. This generally makes them healthier and makes bugs less interested in them. Trees that are crowded together are more likely to get stressed out and weak, which makes them easier to attack.

2. Water them.

Giving your trees a good watering when it is dry will help them stay healthy. Trees need the right amount of water to stay healthy and strong. You can help your pines fight off stress and disease by giving them regular watering.

3. Monitor them.

Check your trees often for signs of beetle growth. Early discovery is very important for taking action. Every so often, you should check your trees, especially in the spring and summer when bugs are most busy. If you see any signs of an invasion, you need to act right away to stop the beetles from going to other trees. 

What you should do if you spot an infestation.

Action must be taken quickly! Do these things:

Get in touch with a licensed arborist.

Experts in tree care can look at the situation and suggest the best way to move forward. To keep the beatles from spreading to good trees, this could mean cutting down trees that are already affected. If you know for sure that you have an issue, you should talk to a trained expert about how to treat it. Arborists can figure out how bad the damage is and suggest the best ways to fix it.

Set traps for beetles.

Bugs like beetles can sometimes be caught and killed in traps that are filled with pheromones, which are chemicals that draw bugs. These traps can be especially good at keeping new pests away. But they might not be able to get rid of an issue that is already there. 

People in Boise can work together to fight the mountain pine beetle and keep pine trees healthy. Planting healthy trees in their own yards can help keep the forest healthy.