Mountain Pine Beetle
Mountain pine beetle (MPB) is an insect native to the forests of western North America and is also known as the Black Hills beetle or the Rocky Mountain pine beetle. MPB primarily develop in pines such as ponderosa, lodgepole, Scotch and limber pines, and less commonly affect bristlecone and piñon pines. These outbreaks can be devastating and have resulted in the loss of millions of trees.
Colorado Mountain Pine Beetle Epidemic Map 1996 - 2008
Symptoms of Infestation
Popcorn-shaped masses of resin, called pitch-tubes, which may be brown, pink or white in color, will be found on the trunk where the beetle began tunneling. Boring dust may be found in bark crevices or on the ground immediately adjacent to the tree base. Evidence of woodpeckers feeding on the trunk may indicate MPB infestation. Patches of bark may be missing where the woodpecker was feeding, and bark flakes may be found on the ground below the tree. These symptoms are similar to the ips beetle, so be sure to properly identify the beetles you find associated with your tree before deciding on treatment.
Management Options
Logs infested with MPB larvae can be treated in various ways to kill developing beetles before they emerge as adults in summer. Treatments include:
- Burning, burying, chipping or removing infested logs
- Solar treatments
Want to learn more about MPB? Please check out the following documents:
- Landowner Guide to Living with Bark Beetles (2.7 MB PDF)
- Bark Beetles: Are Your Trees At Risk? (2.4 MB PDF)
- Mountain Pine Beetle (362 KB PDF)
- Mountain Pine Beetle Poster (313 KB PDF)
- Mountain Pine Beetle Management Poster (1.3 MB PDF)
- Spraying Trees to Protect Against Mountain Pine Beetle (43 KB PDF)
- Thoughts on Verbenone Use for Mountain Pine Beetle (18 KB PDF)
- Solar Treatment for Mountain Pine Beetle (34 KB PDF)
- A Year in the Life of a Mountain Pine Beetle by: Buford the Mountain Pine Beetle (1.2 MB PDF)
- 2008 Report on the Health of Colorado's Forests - pages 16-21 (9.5 MB PDF)