Insect · GBIF taxon 1228026
Mountain Pine Beetle
Dendroctonus ponderosaeAlso known as Black Hills Beetle, Rocky Mountain Pine Beetle
Mountain pine beetles orchestrate massive tree colonization through aggregation pheromones, swarming host pines in vast numbers to overwhelm defensive resin pitch. Females bore into the phloem layer and introduce blue stain fungi, which halts the tree's water transport while nourishing developing larvae. Warming winter temperatures have accelerated their life cycles, driving landscape-scale forest die-offs across western coniferous ecosystems.
Forest InsectBark BeetleWood-Boring
Licensed referenceWikimedia Commons / Public domain · cc0
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Least ConcernConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXLeast ConcernRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Lodgepole pine phloem
- Ponderosa pine phloem
- Whitebark pine phloem
Predators
- Woodpeckers
- Checkered beetles
- Nematodes
ThreatsExtreme prolonged cold snaps below minus forty degrees
HabitatsConiferous pine forests and subalpine woodlands
Life span1 year
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- FamilyCurculionidae
- SpeciesDendroctonus ponderosae
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Harmless to humans; safe to observe from a normal distance.
Responsible observation
- Look for Pitch Tubes: Search pine trunks for popcorn-shaped creamy pitch resin tubes where beetles bore inside.
- Inspect the Canopy: Watch for needles changing from bright green to yellow and reddish-brown across forest stands.
- Burn Local Firewood: Avoid transporting untreated firewood to prevent introducing beetle populations into uninfested forests.
Competitor 
Predator "Hairy Woodpecker" by Me in ME is licensed under CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/. · cc-byClose Relative Close Relative
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