What Has The Beetle Taught Us This Time

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What Has The Beetle Taught Us This Time?
by
Robert Hodgkinson, R.P.F., R.P.Bio. Forest
Entomologist Ministry of Forests Range Northern
Interior Forest Region
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Rise and shine, everyone! . . . Its a beautiful
day and were all going try something different!
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New Observations of Mountain Pine Beetle
1. Attacking, killing, and occasionally
breeding in very young Pl
2. Dispersing up to approx. 60 km per year
3. Spreading to New Non-Historic Ranges

• 4. Overwhelming preventative measures and
  attacking non hosts

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New Observation 1MPB attacking, killing,
occasionally breeding in very young Pl
Previous Assumptions

• Pl less than 60 years of age and having dbhs
  less than 20 cm were considered not susceptible
  to being attacked killed.

• If such Pl were attacked, it was presumed that
  they
• would act like beetle syncs and absorb more
• attacking beetles than they would ever
  produce via
• surviving broods.

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New Observation 1
Pl as young as 18 years of age being attacked,
e.g., in the Tumuch area of Prince George District
Prince George
Bug Stop
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Beetle-Whacked
24 year old lodgepole pine at km 58 on the
Pelican Forest Service Road - November 3, 2005
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Km 58 on the Pelican Forest Service Road -
October 2005
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43 Year Old Pine Killed Near Lintz Lake in Prince
George Forest District - Sept, 13, 2005
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10 cm dbh Pl attacked in thinned stand in S. W.
Prince George District in 2005
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MPB can successfully reproduce in Pl with dbhs
as low as approx. 12 cm
12.4 dbh Pl from Lintz Lake area of Prince George
District attacked in 2004
Other observations from Southern Interior Forest
Region
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Exit hole
17.2 cm dbh Pl from Lintz Lake area of Prince
George District attacked in 2004
Evidence of Successful Pupal and/or Immature
Adult Development Exit Holes
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New Observation 2 MPB Dispersing 65 km per year

• MPB can spread approx. 65 km per year, e.g.,
  Vanderhoof District in late 1990s.

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Progression of Mountain Pine Beetle in Vanderhoof
District, Nadina District Tweedsmuir Provincial
Park from 1996 - 2001
Year of Spread
35 km
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001
63 km
Nadina Forest District
Tweedsmuir Park
Vanderhoof Forest District
Scale 1 cm 22.5 km
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Dispersing Adults Wash Up on Beach at Frank Lake
in Vanderhoof District
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New Observation 3 Spreading to New Non-Historic
Ranges

• MPB expanding along with the movement of the
• -40 thermocline

• MPB can likely fly over mountain ranges on winds
  aloft, e.g., as evidenced by large recent
  incursions into the Narraway River in the Peace
  River District and the Willmore Wilderness area
  of Alberta

• MPB can readily move through mountain passes,
• e.g., along the Table River in the Prince
  George
• District into the Peace River District

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Jarvis Creek - Sept, 17, 2005
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Good heavens - just look at you! Youve been
trying to fly over the Rockies again, havent
you?
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Old Beetle Hazard Due To Traditional Climactic
Effects
Very Low Hazard Rating
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Mountain Pine Beetle Migrates to the Peace River
Forest District
Gee . . Talk about overstaying their welcome!
John, open the door and maybe the wind will blow
them along the drainage to the Peace River.
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Susceptible Pine Forests Across Canada
Lodgepole pine
Zone of Pine Hybridization
Jack Pine
Mountain pine beetle
No climatic (?) or biological barriers to MPB
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Albertas Stance
Province of Alberta
Get em before they arrive!
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New Observation 4 MPB Overwhelming preventative
measures and attacking non-hosts
MPB can completely overwhelm

• Pl treated with multiple applications of
  chemical
• insecticides, e.g., Sevin and Dursban

• Pl treated with verbenone repellent

• Pl stands beetle-proofed where larger dbh Pl
  have been removed in an attempt to reduce stand
  susceptibility

• MPB has inadvertently attacked interior
  spruce
• and black spruce but without success.

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Attempts at Direct Control
Ive decided to try a little shock treatment!
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Dursban 4E
Hundreds of Dead Attacking Parent Adults
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Does the Repellent Verbenone Work Under High
Beetle Population Pressure?
Hold it right there, young lady! Wash off that
pheromone and splash on a little verbenone!
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Verbenone Repellent Failed To Protect Most Pine
in Prince George in 2005 because of Extreme
Beetle Population Pressure
Verbenone Repellent
Mountain pine beetle entrance hole
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Beetle Proofing Retention of 20 cm dbh
Lodgepole Pine may fail
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Mountain Pine Beetle Attacking Interior Spruce in
a mixed stand in the Pine Pass of the Peace River
Forest District - Sept. 2005
Boring Dust pitch
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Unsuccessful Mountain Pine Beetle Egg Gallery in
Interior Spruce in the Pine Pass of the Peace
River Forest District - September 2005
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Mountain Pine Beetle Attacked Black Spruce in
2005 in S.W. Prince George District
Pitch tube
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Unsuccessful Mountain Pine Beetle Attacked Black
Spruce in 2005 in S.W. Prince George District
Unsuccessful egg gallery
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Summary of New Observations of Mountain Pine
Beetle
1. Attacking, killing, and occasionally
breeding in very young Pl
2. Dispersing up to approx. 60 km per year
3. Spreading to New Non-Historic Ranges

• 4. Overwhelming preventative measures and
  attacking non hosts

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More New Observations Forthcoming?
Have you been using that pine-scented cologne
again?
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Better Days Are Ahead!