Pine Beetles Are Toast

[Moe]

Well, I heard the pine beetles were in decline. This unreal cold snap will sure smash them some more. Good riddance!

[Savage Bacon]

Good news. Where at? Hopefully into BC also.

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[fishnguy]

Would be nice, but… This isn’t the first time it is cold out.

[stob]

Originally Posted by fishnguy

Would be nice, but… This isn’t the first time it is cold out.

True...but this is a 4-5 day cold apparently like we have not had in 50 years so it should wack them good... 10 days of this and we crush them

[Drewski Canuck]

What is key for a beetle kill is that it was mild weather before the cold snap. And it was.

The beetles did not acclimatize before the deep freeze so that will be the end of the beetles within 72 hours at - 40 C.

Ag Canada did this research back in the beginning in 2006 when the beetles started to expand rapidly. The bodies literally pop.

In the mean time, thousands of acres of timber had to be salvage logged to stop the fire hazard from all the dead pine trees. Wood was good but had a blue trace on the wood from the fungus in the wood.

But the crash in lumber prices in 2009 was multiplied by the excess pine that had to be cut at that time.

A $48 2 x 12 x 16 footer in 2007 - 2008 sold for $16.05 in 2009.

Drewski

[thumper]

And the blue-stained pine was sold as ‘denim pine’ ! Good marketing!!!

[Ricki Bobby]

It sure burns good

[tirebob]

Originally Posted by Ricki Bobby

It sure burns good

Speaking of burning... These last few years have burned a good swak of them as well!

[Savage Bacon]

Has there been any update on these little buggers? Did they survive that cold snap?

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[LeonH]

Originally Posted by Moe

Well, I heard the pine beetles were in decline. This unreal cold snap will sure smash them some more. Good riddance!

I have read few months ago that 2019 was the peak of the problem and since that time it was something over 90% reduction in their numbers. We had several winters since with some real extreme cold temperature periods that did make all of the difference. The reduction of them was mainly from natural causes and human intervention had such a small impact.

[NCC]

Beetles have killed a bunch of Douglas fir trees on my friend's ranch near Clinton BC. I hope the cold got them as well.

[Bushrat]

They didn't go anywhere. They may have been knocked back a small amount but they will recover. Not cold enough for long enough.