IPS PINE BEETLE BIOLOGY
IpsBeetles are small reddish to dark brown beetles about 1/4 to 1/2 of an inch long. Though they prefer live trees, they can and will feed on freshly cut wood piles at lumber yards or firewood.
Ips beetles are the single most destructive pest which attacks pine trees. They are quick to reproduce, migrate and eat so once active on any one tree in a stand, it is important to start dealing with them immediately to minimize casualties. There are other species which will feed on a variety of hardwood trees but these tend to be slower at both reproducing and causing damage. Softwoods, like pine trees, tend to get damaged quicker and are able to provide harborage to more insects then hard woods over the same period of time.
Ips beetles are attracted to pine trees by smelling the trees sap and pheromones of live, active beetles. Though most trees will emit small amounts of sap naturally, trees which sustain injury due to man or nature are more likely to get beetle activity. Pruning at inappropriate times (like the summer), mechanical damage by construction crews cutting protective tree bark, lightning, drought, disease or insect damage like that which can occur from termites can all make a tree more susceptible to ips beetles. Once a flow of sap is more than normal, the odds that beetles will find the tree are increased.
TREES WILL SUFFER FROM IPS PINE BEETLES
A normal healthy tree will emit or release some sap that can attract beetles. When a tree is injured and sap runs freely and the odds that beetles find the tree are greatly increased. Once found, beetles will penetrate the bark and then begin excavating tunnels between the bark and the wood of the tree. These tunnels will serve as egg cavities. Eggs will be laid and when the larva hatch they will immediately begin to feed on the live part of the tree called the phloem and xylem. This feeding will lead them on a random journey which typically moves around the tree weakening it’s bark to the point of it falling off. Trees which have been severely damaged will shed their bark and appear naked; galleries and tunnels will be visible leaving a sure sign of what caused the damage.
Once the larva get their fill, they will undergo a metamorphosis during which time they change to adults. This third stage is called the pupae and when ready, they will hatch and emerge from the tree. Their emergence will leave a bunch of new holes through which the attractive scent of sap along with their natural pheromones will attract even more beetles. For this reason it is always wise to treat any tree which you suspect may have a small amount of activity.
In general, most healthy trees can withstand a beetle or two but if left alone, this initial activity will multiply to hundreds of beetles as new ones are attracted to exit holes.
WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO TREAT IPS PINE BEETLES?
At least once a year. This is especially true if you reside in region with known activity.
Once beetles are on your land and feeding on your trees, the scenario will change from “preventive” to “saving” and when saving trees, plan on treating every 2-3 months.
Unfortunately saving trees with extensive activity may be near to impossible. That’s not to say you shouldn’t tree. But letting the beetles have one “untreated” tree or removing the infested tree is not a bad idea. Just remember that remaining trees will quickly become targets if left unprotected.
At that point you’ll need to make some decisions regarding how much “preventive” treating you want to do. The good news is spraying the bark once a year before you have activity can really help. Combine this with a use a systemic and you can help most any tree from predatory pests.
Below are all the products needed to control this pest but before you proceed to this section, watch this video first. It will provide a detailed explanation of all you need to do and why.
BEST IPS PINE BEETLE SPRAY
If you are in a region where ips beetles are active or if you have had some bad experience with them in the past, consider treating and protecting any tree you value. Such treatments should done at least once a year; once in the spring and once in the fall would be ideal.
By spraying the bark you can help to establish a protective barrier through which beetles cannot enter. Treating with MAXXTHOR EC will both kill and repel ips beetles for several months..
Mix it at the rate of 1 oz per gallon of water and expect to get up to 500 sq/ft of surface area protected per gallon of mixed spray. That means you should be able to get 2-4 average pine trees protected per gallon of mixed solution.
For preventive treatments, focus on the bottom 10 feet of trunk but if the tree is showing signs of activity, treat as much of it as possible. Any standard PUMP SPRAYER can be used to do the treatment; just make sure it can reach the height needed. In general, you want to spray high first so that the material will run down the bark allowing you to maximize the area treated without spraying the same area over and over.
To get the most of your treatment, add SPREAD-X BOOST to your tank mix along with the Maxxthor. Boost is an adjuvant, also known as a wetter spreader or spreader sticker. It basically makes water and the mixture more “slippery” so you get better coverage. Treatments will spread 2-3 times wider and penetrate deeper. This is super important when spraying trees. Boost will help the Maxxthor get “into” the bark that much deeper and as a result, residuals will be longer and the immediate impact your treatment will be magnified.
The following short video summarizes why Boost can help deliver your treatment better.
Add no more than the rate you’re applying the Maxxthor so in this case, if you’re adding 2.5 oz of Maxxthor to the hose end sprayer, add 2.5 oz of Boost too before adding water. If you’re adding Maxxthor to a pump sprayer at the rate of 1 oz per gallon, use 1 oz of Boost.
And don’t forget to add Boost to your soil drenches with the Prothor. Boost and Prothor, as well as Joy Juice, are all compatible and the Boost will get the treatment at least twice as deep. This insures the actives will be “in” the tree that much faster with Boost speeding up the time it takes to get the actives to the roots for absorption.
BEST HIGH REACHING SPRAYERS FOR INFESTED TREES
For trees with current activity, spray as high as possible. Pump sprayers will generally reach 10-15 feet which may not be enough. But if you have a garden hose with high water pressure, use a HOSE END SPRAYER to deliver the Maxxthor and Boost.
For highest reach, get one of our NO PUMP SPRAYERS. This vunique sprayer is simple yet very good, easy to use and one of our “favs” for applying insecticides to your homes exterior and landscape (its too powerful for use inside).
Ideally suited for reaching heights of 40+ feet, it has no moving parts other than the valve you hold for spraying and the adjustable brass “bullet” nozzle.
This sprayer is essentially a tank that can hold water, chemical and up to 130 psi of air. The top lid has a clamp and rubber gasket that seats on the “inside” of the sprayer so as you fill it with air, the seal will naturally remain in place, nice and tight.
The top has 3 “ports” (pic below). The port to the far left is used to fill the tank with air. Using any electric air pump (the kind you would use the fill tires on your car), you can safely pressurize this sprayer up to 80 psi. The tank is rated for up to 130 lbs but the relief valve will only allow you to fill it to 80-90 psi before it starts to release. This happens as a safety precautionary action.
For normal use around the home, 50-60 psi should be enough for you empty the liquid from the 2.5 gallon tank assuming you only add 1 gallon of mixed product. True, the sprayer can “hold” 2.5 gallons of liquid but you need room for the air. Our tests show that 50-60 psi will pump out an entire gallon of spray allowing you to reach 25-30 feet heights.
For reaching 40+ feet or higher targets, pressurize the sprayer to 80 psi and again, mix up only what you plan on using and no more than 1 gallon of mixed solution at one time so the tank has enough room left to store all the needed “air”. One charge of 80 psi is enough to get the entire mixture to spray out so you don’t have to be concerned about constantly recharging.
The 5 GALLON NO PUMP can hold over 2 gallons of mixed material and can perform equally as well.
Remember, YOU WILL NEED AN AIR COMPRESSOR POWERFUL ENOUGH TO FILL THIS SPRAYER!! WE RECOMMEND ONE THAT CAN DO AT LEAST 100 PSI.
WATCH THIS VIDEO ON THE “NO PUMP” SPRAYER FOR OPERATIONAL DETAILS
INJECT IPS PINE BEETLE HOLES WITH FS-MP
Another option for treating light problems and the cracks and crevices of the bark is to inject some FS-MP AEROSOL. This aerosol comes with a straw which can be inserted into small holes so that you can treat “into” the tree. The pressure of the can along with the aerosol sized particles which are released insures a thorough treatment. The use of this product will require less product and it will be distributed faster and more uniform.
Simply insert the thin straw, hold the can on for 5-10 seconds and you’re done. Any beetles in the hole will be dead and the FS-MP will provide long lasting residual so new beetles can’t use the same hole again.
TAKE DOWN AND BURN INFESTED TREES
When a tree has been found with a lot of activity, you probably won’t be able to save it. The original thinking of handling such trees has been to remove the infested tree and then to burn it along with all the infesting beetles. However, this is not always so easy to do but its still a good practice. One thing is for sure: If you have a tree infested with ips beetles and there are other trees close by, you need to treat the other trees ASAP. This preventive application should be done with the Maxxthor and careful inspections of these same trees should be done monthly as well until the infested tree can be removed or taken down.
USE A SYSTEMIC TO KEEP YOUR TREES IN GOOD HEALTH
Something else to consider is the use of a good systemic. These are products you water into the ground around the trunk of the tree. Once injected, these products will be absorbed up into the tree and kill pests which attempt to feed on the treated tree. The best product for this is PROTHOR. It can be sprayed on the tree too but it’s real strong point is when used as a systemic.
Though it will take a few weeks to make it’s way throughout the tree, annual treatments with Prothor can protect trees from most any insect infestation and help cure current problems. Remember, there is a huge range of insect pests which will target trees. And though one species may not be enough to kill it, a combined infestation can easily make a tree weak and cause it to succumb to the disease. For this reason protecting any tree you treasure with Prothor makes sense.
Use Prothor at the rate of 1 oz per 10″ of trunk diameter. Mix it in 5 gallons of water and drench inside the tree’s drip line to insure good root absorption. Prothor only needs to be applied once a year and can really help “preserve” your trees overall good health.
INSTALL IPS PINE BEETLE REPELLENT
To help prevent reinfestation or to keep any stand of pines IPS Pine Beetle free, install our PINE BORER REPELLENT.
These pouches are easy to use, last 90-120 days and each pouch can protect up to 2500 sq/ft.
This short video (less than 60 seconds) gives a brief description of this product and how it works.
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