Category: Pest Management

Alberta's cold winter did knock back the mountain pine beetles

Scientists are now saying last winter's cold temperatures in Alberta were cold enough to knock back the population of mountain pine beetles. Bark samples from 1,266 pine trees at 229 sites show that except for a few hot spots in the north and west, th… more »

Could we prevent Dutch elm disease by cloning resistant trees?

Praveen Saxena, a University of Guelph researcher, is searching for elm trees that have proven to be high resistant or highly tolerant to Dutch elm disease. If resistant trees can be found, they could be used in a tree breeding program designed to pro… more »

Aerial gypsy moth spray program in Richmond, B.C.

A gypsy moth aerial spray program is beginning in Richmond, British Columbia this week with hopes of killing off a infestation of gypsy moths.Foray 48R will be sprayed from low-flying aircraft over northern parts of the city. Ground spraying will oc… more »

Nova Scotia restoring forests damaged by the spruce bark beetle

The provincial government of Nova Scotia is restoring forests in Cape Breton's Mabou Highlands ravaged by the spruce bark beetle.The Department of Natural Resources has authorized the harvesting of two sites on crown land, located in the northern end… more »

Brown spruce longhorn beetle spreads, despite quarantine

The brown spruce longhorn beetle is spreading in Nova Scotia despite the efforts of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and their quarantine efforts."It attacks spruce, but it prefers white spruce," said Gina Penny, a provincial forest entomol… more »

Have the beetles won in Alberta too?

The mountain pine beetles have moved into northeastern Alberta.Officials are surveying the devastation in the northeast. Ted Morton, Alberta's sustainable resource minister, recently said, "We are doing a good job of containing the spread of beetles… more »

Did the beetles win?

"The mountain pine beetle epidemic is largely over. The bad news is that it's because they don't have any food left to eat. The vast majority of our pine stands have been killed at this point, and we are really in a salvage mode," said B.C.'s Forests Min… more »

Invasive Species Centre to be created in Sault Ste. Marie

The Canadian Forest Service's (CFS) Great Lakes Forestry Centre (GLFC) in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario will now be the home of the new Invasive Species Centre.The Invasive Species Centre is a joint initiative with the federal government and the province… more »

Bad news. The beetles survived the winter.

The winter was colder than average in some areas of Alberta, and everyone had hoped the weather was cold enough to kill off the mountain pine beetle populations. Unfortunately it seems that many of them survived.A provincial survey found the colder… more »

Brown spruce long-horn beetle pheromone as a control tactic

Scientists from the Canadian Forest Service have a new plan to control the invasive brown spruce long-horn beetle.To control their spread, scientists are scattering tiny white bio-degradable pheromone laced flakes from a helicopter near Halifax, Nova… more »

Don't know yet if the pine beetles froze in Alberta

Recently we heard the Canadian Forest Service's computer models indicated a 95% pine beetle mortality in southern Alberta and 90% on the eastern slopes in northern Alberta. Tom Daniels, a community forester with Sunpine Forest Products Inc. said he h… more »

Take THAT pine beetles!

The Canadian Forest Service is saying this winter's frigid temperatures might have killed off 95% of the mountain pine beetles in southern Alberta and the mountain parks and about 90% in northern Alberta.The numbers are promising, but the province wo… more »

Brown spruce longhorn beetle found near Pictou, NS

The destructive brown spruce longhorn beetle has been found in Pictou County, Nova Scotia in a monitoring trap set by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.The beetle kills some spruce trees. It usually attacks dying or stressed trees, but can go after… more »

Emerald ash borer confirmed in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has confirmed the presence of the Emerald Ash Borer ( EAB ) in the City of Sault Ste. Marie. The infestation is located in a residential area of the city near the intersection of MacDonald Avenue and Pim Street.… more »

Liberals pledging $250 to battle mountain pine beetles

Federal Liberals have promised $250 million on their campaign trail to fight the spread of the mountain pine beetle. But Gary Lunn, the Tory natural resources minister, blamed the beetle problem on the "negligence" of Jean Chretien's Liberal majority… more »