Identifying Infestation
Pine Beetle Life Cycle
Adult pine beetles are small, dark brown to black insects about the size of a grain of rice and generally
have a one year life-cycle, most of which is spent in the soft tissues between the bark and wood of the tree.
Mature beetles emerge as adults in late April to mid July, dispersing to look for pine trees within which to
lay eggs.
Pine Beetle eggs hatch into larvae about two weeks later. Larvae feed and develop over the summer and fall.
The following spring larva will pupate into immature adults.
Fully muture adults will bore out of the
bark in late spring and disperse, thus completing the cycle.
Due to the favourable conditions of the Kamloops area, it is known that two generations of beetle may
be successfully created each year.
Evidence of Pine Beetle Infestation
Pitch Tubes
"Pitch tubes" may be seen on the stem of the tree. These white, pink or brown globs of resin,
resembling popcorn, indicate where a female beetle has tunneled into the bark.
Pitch tubes are the trees attempt to rid itself of the beetle.
Galleries
Galleries / tunneling may be seen when the bark is removed with the aid of an axe or chisel.
Vertical galleries
are created by the adult female as a place to lay eggs. When the eggs hatch the larvae
feed horizontally outwards on the soft tissues of the inner bark. Adult beetles, larvae or eggs may be seen.
Discoloured Needles
Discoloured needles may indicate a beetle infestation. Initially, green needles will begin yellowing,
eventually turning bright red and then brown. Discolouring occurs the year after attack and by the time
the needles are red, the beetles have matured and left the tree.
"Blue Pine"
When beetles enter a tree they carry a blue-staining fungi which will discolour the sapwood several months later.
This fungi, combined with girdling caused by the tunneling, disrupts the flow of water and nutrients within
the tree resulting in the eventual death of the tree.
Woodpeckers
Although the presence of pine beetles is a bother to most humans, many animals find the super abundance of
these creatures a smorgasboard. Woodpeckers are predators of the beetle which utilize the larvae as a source
of food. They will create holes in thick bark or completely remove whole sections of thinner bark. Piles of
bark flakes may be seen at the base of the tree.
Contact
Parks Operations
955 Concordia Way
Phone 250 828 3551
email parks@kamloops.ca
Note: All correspondence is entered into our system, and will be dealt with in due process. Please allow several working days for a response. Thank you.
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