What You Need to Know About the Mountain Pine Beetle

Pine trees, particularly lodgepole pines, in the forest surrounding the Gallatin Valley have been hit hard with Moutain Pine Beetle the last few years. Then, during the summer of 2008, these beetles infected many of the pines in people’s yards in the valley—Scotch and ponderosa pines, especially.

  • You can recognize infestations before the tree actually dies by spotting yellowish pitch balls about the size of a piece of popcorn at their entrance holes on the trees’ trunks. By midwinter, an infected tree’s needles will turn reddish-brown and the tree will be dead.
  • So far, the beetle has been found only in pine trees.

Control

If the pine trees in your yard are not yet infected:

  1. Install Verbenone Mountain Pine Beetle repellants on the trunk of your pines (2 packets per tree) in June before the next stage of the insect hatches.
  2. Spray with a concentration of 2% Sevin (Carboryl) insecticide in June, completely soaking trees that do not yet have the beetle.
  3. Burn the wood of any dead trees or strip its bark before June to prevent the insect hatching and spreading more.
  4. Cashman Nursery has information & supplies available for controlling the Mountain Pine Beetle. You may also contact Jeff Pfiel from Bozeman Tree Service.

Cashman Nursery has both Verbenone repellants and Sevin for sale – We welcome you to visit us at the nursery, or contact us at (406) 587-3406 for any questions you may have!