Prevent Further Spread - Mountain Pine Beetle in Alberta

 
     
 
 
 If you think that your pine tree may be infested with mountain pine beetle there are steps you can take to prevent further spread.

Disposal of Infested Trees

Stand and Peel: Using a knife, carefully peel the bark away from entry holes, exposing the beetles under the bark to the cold.

Removal and Disposal: Each beetle infested tree may contain enough beetles to infest multiple healthy trees. It is extremely important to remove and dispose of infested trees prior to mid June, when mature beetles begin to emerge and fly to new sites. Beetle infested trees cannot be transported unless they are debarked. Infested bark should be chipped, burned or buried to ensure adults and larvae are destroyed.

These steps will minimize the risk of damage to forests by insects or disease, the transport of logs and other forest products cut from coniferous trees is regulated under provincial legislation. You can read up on the legal foundation for the management of public forests in Alberta at: Prevent Further Infestation

The following steps can be taken to minimize the risk of mountain pine beetles infesting pine trees on your property and to prevent further spread.

Keep your trees healthy: Mountain pine beetles are more likely to attack stressed pine trees. These trees may have been topped, poorly pruned, injured, root damaged or are suffering from drought.

Remove trees and thin pine stands: You may remove or thin pine stands on your property by removing trees so the crowns do not touch. You may also want to consider diversifying your tree types to include other species of trees and age classes.

Sensitive Sites and Smaller Areas

(NOTE: Before engaging in these activities, you may choose to consult your local tree professional. These actions can be potentially dangerous and are not guaranteed.)

Pheromone Repellents: Verbenone is a pheromone that can be used to help prevent attacks on healthy pine trees. Verbenone is a naturally occurring chemical that mimics the scent beetles emit when a tree is heavily infested. The chemical can cause mountain pine beetle to avoid attacking healthy pine trees. Verbenone is specific to mountain pine beetle and is not a pesticide. This tool can be effective when beetle populations are low.

For more information call 310-3773 or visit:
 
 
 
 
For more information about the content of this document, contact Devon Belanger.
This information published to the web on March 1, 2016.
Last Reviewed/Revised on February 21, 2018.