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Public Forums => In The news => Topic started by: Wrightwood on Jun 15, 15, 02:45:09 PM

Title: Bark beetles pose greater fire danger in fourth year of California drought
Post by: Wrightwood on Jun 15, 15, 02:45:09 PM
Title: Re: Bark beetles pose greater fire danger in fourth year of California drought
Post by: Wrightwood on Jul 28, 15, 01:20:43 AM
Risk from Bark Beetles
Bark Beetles are killing millions of trees in California. Dead trees become fuel for wildfire.

http://www.readyforwildfire.org/Bark_Beetles_Risk (http://www.readyforwildfire.org/Bark_Beetles_Risk)
Title: Re: Bark beetles pose greater fire danger in fourth year of California drought
Post by: Mrs. Hillbilly on Oct 20, 15, 02:16:43 AM
A friend of ours had a standing dead tree close to his power lines.  Edison took down the tree and was it was treated for the bark beetle.  He offered us the wood.  As I started splitting up the rounds I began to notice several of these guys burrowed in the tree!

(https://extension.umd.edu/sites/default/files/resize/_images/programs/hgic/Invasives/sirexwasp-498x336.jpg)

I have never seen these things in our trees before.  I looked them up on Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sirex_woodwasp

They are called Sirex Woodwasp and are not a good thing for our forest.  Does anybody have more info on these things.  The rounds of wood I am splitting have been at my house since July.  These things are still alive burrowed in the wood. I ended up killing most of them thinking they could sting me.  Apparently they do not sting. A couple did fly away. 
Title: Re: Bark beetles pose greater fire danger in fourth year of California drought
Post by: Mrs. Hillbilly on Oct 20, 15, 02:32:20 AM
I found a picture of the larva.  These I have seen many times throughout the years. I just had never seen them in their wasp form.

(https://www.daf.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0011/53111/varieties/thumb-500.jpg)
Title: Re: Bark beetles pose greater fire danger in fourth year of California drought
Post by: Nolena on Oct 20, 15, 04:36:36 AM
Hmmmm...
The most recent large Jeffrey Pine to topple over (recently) along the Village Trail had been showing growths of fungus for quite some time.
The stump is still there, a little east of Victorville Street.
I wonder if this could have been the problem.