Columbine Lake Pine Beetle Information

What is Mountain Pine Beetle?

As you probably already know from Denver newspapers, TV, local press and CLCC publications, mountain pine beetle infestation in Grand County is significant. In 2003, 440,000 trees were infested in Grand County ; twice the rest of the state combined. Columbine Lake is no exception. One pine beetle infested tree can potentially infest four more trees next year. Once a tree is infested, there is nothing that can be done to save the tree.

The pine beetle is about the size of the head of a kitchen match. They develop in lodge pole pines. The beetles kill the tree by girdling under the bark and clogging the trees food and water source.

Some of the signs that you may have pine beetles are popcorn-shaped masses of resin, called “pitch-tubes,” on the trunk where beetle tunneling begins, boring dust in bark crevices and on the ground around the trunk, evidence of woodpecker feeding on the trunk, foliage turning yellowish to reddish throughout the entire tree crown, and presence of live pine beetles under the bark.

We encourage our owners to protect their trees with preventive spraying. This should be done in the spring and before July when pine beetles fly to infest new trees. Any trees currently containing pine beetles should be removed from the area as soon as possible, but not later than mid- June to prevent further infestation. It is more cost effective to spray for prevention, than to have pine beetle infested trees removed from the area.

( These names are provided for informational purposes only and without recommendation. Columbine Lake Country Club, Inc. does not endorse or guarantee work.)