The Mountain Pine Beetle epidemic has become a major problem for North America in the last decade. While only the size of a grain of rice, the MPB has caused massive forest destruction in British Columbia as well as many parts of the United States. According to British Columbia’s government website (2012) “The B.C. Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations estimates that the mountain pine beetle has now killed a cumulative total of 710 million cubic meters of timber since the current infestation began”. This damage doesn’t even include the More than 3.3 million forested acres in Colorado that have been affected by MPB since the current infestation began more than a decade ago. (Report on the Health of Colorado’s Forests). These aren’t the first outbreaks of the MBP though, and the beetle itself has been around for over 12,000 years. (D. Six n.d). There have been recorded outbreaks dating back to the 1920’s, but what makes this latest one so severe? (MBP Symp 2003) (p.43). The answer to this question is, a perfect mix of warmer winters, longer, drier summers, and larger, older pine stands. The Mountain Pine Beetle adult has the ability to survive anywhere from -11 to -25 degrees Fahrenheit. (MBP Symp 2003) (p.27). It does so by producing a polyhydric alcohol in its blood. (Somme 1964) .The MPB needed this defense, as exposure to cold temperatures was its number one predator. (Safranyik 1978) (p.225). That being said, it has a tremendous adaptation for fighting the cold. This adaptation can only go so far, as the cold temperatures used to prevent the MPB from reaching higher elevations and spreading. This is no longer the case though, as Professor Ken Raffa (2012) explains “Warming temperatures have allowed tre... ... middle of paper ... ...1, 10.1139/z64-009 Safranyik, L. 1978. Effects of climate and weather on mountain pine beetle populations. Pages 79-86 in D.L. Kibbee, A.A. Berryman, G.D. Amman, and R.W. Stark, eds. Theory and practice of mountain pine beetle management in lodge-pole pine forests. Symp. Proc. ,Univ. Idaho, Moscow, ID. Raffa 2012 http://www.news.wisc.edu/21388 Smith, R.H. (1963). Toxicity of pine resin vapors to three species of Dendroctonusvbark beetles. Journal of Economic Entomology 56: 827-831 Barnett, J. R. (2004). Langenheim, J.H. Plant resins: chemistry, evolution, ecology and ethnobotany. Annals Of Botany, 93(6), 784-785. doi:10.1093/aob/mch103 Reid, R.W. (1962). Biology of the mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus monticolae Hopkins, in the east Kootenay region of British Columbia. I. Life cycle, brood development and flight periods. The Canadian Entomologist 94: 531- 538
It’s not the latest comic book super villain that we’re worried about, here in Northwest Ohio. No, it’s a little green beetle that, since 2003, has been munching its way through our neighborhoods and Metroparks. The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) feasts on our Ash trees, leaving us little choice but to spray a bright red stripe or “X” on the trunks of the mortally wounded flora.
ImageText BoxImageOne of the biggest threats to the environment of Ontario is the Gypsy Moth (Lymantria dispar dispar). The species itself is native to Europe and Asia. How this affects us is by weakening trees across Ontario and North America. The first time the gypsy moth was found in Ontario was 1969. The gypsy moth can be found in southern Canada (Ontario), New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and British Columbia. It is known to weaken trees and the caterpillar form live in trees and during most outbreaks its caterpillar feces would fall from the trees to the ground or even on top of humans. The average Gypsy Caterpillar can grow 5-6 centimeters long. With five pairs of blue spots and six pairs of bright red dots on their back. The female moth are white and can fly on the other hand, the male moth are brown and can also fly. The female have a 5cm wing span but male have a 2.5cm wing span. The gypsy moth usually lives in open forests and other forests and take up at least 20% of the space. The Gypsy moth are about 4cm long, tan coloured and can be located on tree trunks, furniture, and buildings. (OFAH Invading Species Awareness Program, 2012)
Peairs, Leonard Marion. Insect Pests of Farm, Garden, and Orchard. New York: John Wiley Sons, 1941.
A small beetle can kill a 1,000 year old tree. In recent years, the number of live whitebark pine trees has been declining dramatically. In the past, mountain pine beetle populations have erupted at times, causing widespread adverse effects on whitebark pine trees. A similar type of warming-related outbreak is occuring today. The whitebark pine tree is beneficial in many ways. In response to increased tree mortality, researchers have established some methods of restoration for the whitebark pine. Increasing temperatures due to global warming may be significantly changing the way mountain pine beetles interact with ecologically important whitebark pine trees by enabling the beetles to more
The American Oil Beetle is a type of Blister Beetle. These beetles are referred to as oil beetles. They are called this because they release oily droplets of hemolymph when they feel threatened. When the beetle feels threatened or put under pressure, they will release a chemical called cantharidin, which creates blisters and will irritate the human skin. These beetles have a soft, and stout abdomen with a shell that looks like overlapping plates. The beetle has a slightly bumpy surface. The antennae can be seen on its head. The beetle can be appeared as dull black, or can be even seen as shiny black or dark blue. The American Oil Beetle do not fly,
Throughout the whole experiment, we learned many thing about the Bess Beetles, But there was many mistakes. The first mistake is that the beetles were not comfortable. The beetles felt that they were being watched and did not move as much as we would have liked. The second mistake is that
If three sets of traps including ethanol, lineatin and sulcatol are established in proximity of the PSHB effected trees, I hypothesize that lineatin and sulcatol are more effective at luring the ambrosia beetles and diverting PSHB attacks than ethanol trap since the aggregation pheromone of the ambrosia beetle such as lineatin is a pheromone produced by female ambrosia beetles which would attract male ambrosia beetles similar to another ambrosia beetle pheromone, sulcatol.
( Rhamnus cathartica ) on native species and forest habitat. The impact can be quite severe due to the
Nigh, Gordon D., Ying, Cheng C. & Qian, Hong. (2004, October). Climate and Productivity of Major Conifer Species in the Interior of British Columbia, Canada. Forest Science 50(5), 659.
Insects such as the mountain pine beetle have the potential to cause major mortality in the pine tree forest. Earthworms are also another problem linked to dieback and reproductive failure in mature northern hardwood trees, and loss of native plant species because they are invading the forests along the prairie-forest.
Pinus strobiformus (Southwestern White Pine) is listed as an indicator species in several publications by the US Department of Agriculture. The seeds of the southwestern white pine are eaten by small mammals and birds and is often found in mixed-conifer forests which provides valuable summer habitat for big and small game animals, rodents, and birds (Diem, 1980). Because natural regeneration of clear cut mixed-conifer forests on south-facing slopes requires 50-100 years, these clear cut areas can be a valuable long-term forage resource for deer and elk (Thill, 1983). Some of these forests also provide habitat for sensitive and threatened species such as the Mexican spotted owl, northern goshawk, and Sacramento Mountain salamander (Pavek, 1993).
The responses from the U.S. Forest Service to wildfires through the majority of the twentieth century were counterproductive. 5 Furthermore, the northern Rocky Mountains region is the only area in the United States that has had significant increase in human-caused fires from 1940 to 2000. 6 To be effective, the fire policies of the United States Forest Service need to study past forest fires and recognize forest fire as a critical ecosystem process that should be studied at local levels and have planned and controlled fires which will reduce the likelihood of continued increase in human-caused fires. Forest types that are part of the Rocky Mountain ecosystem such as ponderosa pine and mixed conifer have been negatively impacted by fire exclusion, because when these forests are left untouched they acquire higher fuel loads and hazards as well as increased numbers of shade-tolerant species of plants that serve as easy tinder in a forest fire and accelerate the rate and spread of potential
AIM: To discover whether the Red Rust Flour beetles react and become more active in the warmer or cooler zones.
... provide the mites protection. This tree has a dense evergreen canopy and mostly prefers moist soils. Its bark has a very rough texture and can vary in colour from black to grey. Their leaves are very simple and alternate with a dark green colour. Various insects pollinate their flowers and their seeds are dispersed either through water or by the animals that eat their fruits. Animals that feed on the fruits include monkeys, baboons, brown-headed parrots, the kudu, the impala, the jackal and grey hornbills. Snakes generally stay close to the tree as they prey on various rodent and bird species that feed on the prey. The leaves of the tree can be consumed by elephants, kudus and the eland. The wood of this tree is very strong and is commonly used to make wooden spoons and canoes and extracts of various parts of this plants is used for its anti-biotic properties.
...e natural enemies are introduced. In addition to the effect of these enemies and the other climatic factors on these three important scale insects are studied.