An irresistible aroma responsible for mountain pine beetle attacks: research
CALGARY — Research suggests pine trees with strong natural defences are their own worst enemy when it comes to the destructive mountain pine beetle.
Although the sap produced by the lodgepole pine is toxic to the beetles, the smell of the sap can attract large numbers of the tiny bugs that can collectively end up killing a tree.
Prof. Mary Reid, a University of Calgary researcher, says toxic chemicals in the resin within a healthy pine can ward off a few beetles, but not a swarm.
“They are effective, but it could be that because they’re also attractive that there can be enough beetles that can pour into that tree and kill the tree even though the individual beetles don’t really do that well,” Reid said.