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By Kira McCutcheon 6C
What tiny bugs are after B.C’s trees? The Mountain Pine Beetle. This bug is only 6mm long, about the size of a grain of rice. The beetles prefer the Lodge Pole Pine because they like trees with large diameters. At a mature age (80 years and older), the lodge pole pine is quite large in diameter. The larger trees provide more nutrients and the tough bark, protection.
In British Columbia, already 4.5 million hectares are infested. By 2013, 80% of the trees could be lost. To find the largest trees, the Pine Beetles send out a pioneer beetle that goes out looking for the perfect tree. When they find the right tree, the pioneer beetle gives off pheromones so the other beetles can sense them and come to that tree.
The mountain Pine Beetle is causing a lot of damage in our ecosystem. They can delay regeneration, shift species composition and affect quality of water, wildlife and recreational values. And to top it all off, the damage adds to fuel loading in the forest which means it can cause more forest fires. Luckily a consistent temperature of -40 ° C can help keep the beetles in check.
http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfp/mountain_pine_beetle/images/lifecycl.gif