I have several 100ft + pine trees in my yard. I was told the beetle that took over the area was not going to hurt our trees since we are on water sprinler system and the trees get plenty of water. My neighbor lost five last year and I am seeing the same signs on one of mine. The tree is brown and sap is comming from the bark. The rest of my trees look good and are very green. Is there a way I can tell if it is the beetle? I have attached som pictures. Any help would be appreciated.
Not good - when the foliage gets that brown, they're dead. To confirm, cut some bark off to see if you can see the bark beetle larvae in their galleries. If yes, then fell the tree, debark it and burn the bark. If the bark looks full of shot holes, then the larvae have already hatched out and will be off to infest another tree.
I cut some bark but do not see anything. There are small holes tthat have sap comming from them. How can I tell if other trees are infected?
I see one more tree has holes as well but it is still green. Anything I can do to stop these beetles?
consult a tree care company that has a qualified arborist with a PHC (plant health care) or IPM (integrated pest management) background. let them have a look at your tree and estimate a cost of cure if there is anything they can do. There are injectable insecticides that may help but boring insects are very diificult to control in general.
The TNRD in Kamloops has plenty of info on Pine bark beetles. Pharemones, or how ever there called or spelled, can be placed around your trees to either trap beetles or tell them your tree is full and move on. When I am doing Knapwwed contol in the Nicola Valley, the ranchers tell me they work well in small stands of pines.
