description Mountain Pine Beetle Overview
The mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae, is a bark beetle native to western North America. It breeds beneath the bark of pine trees, including lodgepole, ponderosa, and jack pine, and can kill trees when populations become sufficiently large. The beetle carries blue-stain fungi into its host trees, and the combined attack disrupts water transport and contributes to widespread pine mortality.
help Mountain Pine Beetle FAQ
What trees does the mountain pine beetle attack, and why are lodgepole pines vulnerable?
The mountain pine beetle is Dendroctonus ponderosae, native to western North America, and it commonly attacks lodgepole, ponderosa, whitebark and limber pines. Larvae feed in the phloem while blue-stain fungi disrupt water transport, so mass attacks can kill a mature tree within about a year.
What does the blue-stain fungus do during a mountain pine beetle attack?
The beetle carries blue-stain fungi such as Grosmannia clavigera into the tree as it tunnels through the inner bark. The fungi spread into the sapwood and obstruct water movement, working with larval feeding to overcome the tree's defenses.
When do mountain pine beetles emerge and reproduce?
In most of its range, the mountain pine beetle has a life cycle of about one year, with adults attacking new trees in July or August. Females excavate vertical egg galleries in the phloem, and larvae overwinter under the bark before finishing development in spring.
Can one mountain pine beetle kill a healthy pine?
A lone beetle may be resisted by resin, so successful tree killing usually involves a mass attack that overwhelms the tree's defenses. Females release aggregation pheromones that recruit other beetles, allowing an infestation to spread through mature pine stands.
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