Mountain pine beetle
Mountain pine beetle ( Dendroctonus ponderosae )
The mountain pine beetle ( Dendroctonus ponderosae, English "Mountain pine beetle " ) is a living in the forests of North America bark beetle.
Features
The beetle is black, has a cylindrical shape and a length of 4 to 7.5 mm. The legless larvae are creamy white with a light brown head capsule and reach the last larval stage has a length of 6 to 7 mm. The eggs are white, oval and translucent.
Distribution and habitat
The mountain pine beetle is found in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. It inhabits forests with Yellow Pine (Pinus ponderosa) and lodgepole pine ( P. contorta ). But the White ethnic pine ( P. albicaulis ), the Rocky Mountain Intermountain subspecies of the coastal pine ( P. contorta subsp. Latifolia ), sugar pine ( P. lambertiana ), the Western White Pine ( P. monticola ) and the introduced species in North America black pine ( P. nigra) and Scots pine ( P. sylvestris) offer him a habitat. Also in other pine species such as Bristlecone pine ( P. aristata ), Foxtail pine ( P. balfouriana ), Coulter pine ( P. coulteri ), Pinus edulis, Flexible pine ( P. flexilis ) and leaved pine ( P. monophylla ) he has been found.
Douglas Fir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii), incense cedar ( Calocedrus decurrens ), fir (Abies spp.), Larch and spruce trees (Larix spp. ) ( Picea spp.) - Especially the Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii ) - are even attacked occasionally, particularly in the vicinity of jaws, but are not suitable for the propagation of the beetle.
Way of life
The mountain pine beetle inhabits pine, especially the ponderosa pine and lodgepole pine. In early stages of propagation the population still focused on sick, old, unfavorable standing or otherwise pre-damaged trees. With time, as well as healthy trees are attacked. The infection usually begins with pioneering females after the tree is infested emit pheromones, which en masse males are attracted.
The beetles kill the trees by boring through the bark of a hole to the phloem layer. From this nutrient-rich layer to feed the animals and lay their eggs. The trees respond to attack by an increased resin production, but which comes to a halt by an entrained with the beetle fungus. After about two weeks, the phloem layer is damaged so severely that the water and nutrient transport the tree breaks off, making the tree starved.