Mountain Pine Beetle

Mountain pin Beetle (MPB) is an insect native to the forests of western North America and is also known as the Black Hills Beetle or the Rocky Mountain pine beetle.  MBP primarily develop in pines such as ponderosa, lodgepole, scotch and limber pines, and less commonly affect bristlecone and pinon pines.  These outbreaks can be devastating and have resulted in the loss of millions of trees.

Symptoms of Infestation

Popcorn-shaped masses of resin, called “pitch-tubes,” (which may be brown, pink, or white in color) will be found on the trunk where the beetle began tunneling. Boring dust may be found in bark crevices or on the ground immediately adjacent to the tree base. Evidence of woodpeckers feeding on the trunk may indicate MPB infestation. Patches of bark may be missing where the woodpecker was feeding, and bark flakes found on the ground below the tree.