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5/19/2005
Meet the Beetles
It’s a good time to be a bark beetle. The winter was mild and the spring days are steadily growing warmer. Millions of larvae that would typically have frozen to death are hatching and tearing into their first bites of wood. And that wood is dry. The trees are exhausted from seven years of waiting for moisture; their defenses are down and they aren’t coming up any time soon.
It’s not often that the bark beetle empire finds itself on the rise. At a mere 4-8 millimeters, they aren’t exactly in a position to throw their weight around. But in large numbers they’re better contenders, and their numbers are growing. As things stand now, the trees are on the ropes, and humans—for all our ingenuity and effort—are on the losing side, too.
Read the full article which appeared in the Missoula Independent on May 19, 2005.
Credits: Author - Jessie McQuillan; Photographer - Chad Harder
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