Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
pine beeetle trap
pine beetles
Above: Beetles are revealed under the bark of a tree. Far left: Beetle traps are set up around Colfax to get a sense of the beetle emergence which is consideraby less than last year.
The scourge of beetles that afflicted Colfax area pines last year is considerably less this year, thanks to the moisture and cooler temperatures this spring.
“The weather has helped with the beetles this year,” said Steve Van Vleet, regional extension specialist of agriculture and natural resources at the WSU extension office in Colfax.
The weather this past spring reduced the stress on area trees, making it so they were better able to defend against the beetles.
The infestation of western pine, turpentine and Ips beetles was initially discovered in July of 2016. The three species of beetles infest at different spots on trees. Western pine beetles are typically found in the four to eight foot range on the tree, while the turpentines infest at the bottom within the first two feet and the Ips infest at the top.
Last year, the trees were more susceptible to attack following the drought conditions of 2015. Fortunately, the increase in water has renewed the trees’ defenses.
“I have only collected about 185 (beetles) in the traps over the last month,” said Van Vleet. “That is considerably lower than 2016 when I was collecting over 600 per week.”
The beetles have been emerging since late June. The extent of their emergence is determined by how hot and dry conditions are through the rest of the summer. Van Vleet noted he usually catches them until September, when it gets too cold for the beetles.
Van Vleet has four beetle traps set up around Colfax, two on the north side, two on the south.
While reduced, the beetle population is still present. Van Vleet noted another dry year like 2015 will make the infestation worse.
Beetle infestation can still kill trees. Van Vleet stated that if a tree is half-dead, then it needs to be taken out and completely chipped or burned. If this procedure is not followed, the beetle population will continue to thrive under the bark. Trees will die from the top down.
A tree with multiple attacks and bleeding sap still has a chance at survival.
“Watering is the best thing (property owners) can do,” Van Vleet said. More water means less stress which means a tree is better able to fight back against the infestation. If the tree is important or of significance, Van Vleet suggested chemical control with carbaryl, which has many trade names, including Sevin.
Van Vleet was working with the City of Colfax on removal of dead trees from beetle attacks, but he said that only amounted to a few meetings with no action taken as of yet.
Jana Mathia is a reporter at the Whitman County Gazette.
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