MPB can be identified by looking for the following signs and symptoms.  Many of these signs are difficult to spot at various times of the year.  Call us for an on-site consultation to determine if you have MPB on your property.

Round globs of sap that indicate the tree has tried to “pitch out” the beetle.  The tree may or may not be fatally infested depending on the number and color of pitch tubes.

A red or brown color indicates a successful attack marked by the presence of boring dust in the pitch.  A white color indicates an unsuccessful attack due to the lack of boring dust found in the pitch.  A tree with only a few white tubes has a chance of survival.  If multiple colored tubes are present the tree should be removed.

Trees that have been fatally infested will change color from green to yellow to red.  This foliage change starts the following spring after the previous summer’s MPB flight.  A red needled tree is beyond the point of saving.

Beetles produce a boring dust as they successfully enter into the host tree. This sawdust-like material is usually found around the base of the tree. If boring dust is present around the entire base of the tree the tree is beyond the point of saving.

MPB can be identified throughout the lifecycle by peeling the bark off an infested tree.  Eggs, larva, pupae and/or adult beetles can be found under the bark.  If the tree is believed to be salvageable this procedure should not be performed.  Peeling off the bark damages the tree and will attract more beetles to the tree the next year.

Woodpeckers are a natural predator to MPB.  Look for a buildup of flaked-off bark around the base of the tree.  Unfortunately woodpeckers disturb the phloem layer of the tree, causing increased damage.

MPB introduce a fungus as they bore into the tree.  This fungus stains the sapwood of the infested tree a blue or grey color.