Environment

Herbal tea could help beat beetle infested trees

by Amy Judd | February 5, 2009 at 04:07 pm

305 views | 28 Recommendations | 8 comments

An ingredient found in herbal tea, verbenone, which is a pheromone, could help stop the number of trees that are being attacked by bark beetles across the west coast of Canada and the United States.

Verbenone is found in rosemary and walnut husks and acts like a pheromone that beetles give off to tell each other that the tree is crowded and they should move on to a new one. When the beetles smell this, they tend to disperse and move on.

However, this is an expensive way of handling the problem and scientists aren't sure how to distribute it yet.

It costs about $110 an acre, compared to $1,000 an acre or more for thinning. Insecticides are also expensive, and kill lots of beneficial insects.

Gillette said she could foresee the technique being used around campgrounds, visitor centers and ski resorts, where it would be desirable to save trees.

Andy Stahl, director of Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics, said it would be fruitless to use across large areas, because the beetles infest only mature trees weakened by factors such as drought, and the infestations are part of a natural cycle that replaces lodgepole pine forests every 100 years.

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Paschen

at 16:53 on February 5th, 2009

The anther to the question can be fund in Nature as well as the remedy to the problem.

steve_m

at 18:54 on February 5th, 2009

This is a great shot of a pine beetle attacked pine but it's probably IPS beetle since it's a Pinon Pine. Either way, it's dead and the beetles will spread in Spring

steve_m has contributed a photo to this story.

uuencode (not verified)

at 20:15 on February 5th, 2009

what a ridiculous theory. coffee club car driver banter. the bark infestations are due to global warming and tea bags have next to so active ingredients.

such 5 oclock news drivel is a sham for citizen journalist enthusiasts. it turns it into tv 'chewing gum for car driver eyeballs', 'tranquilizes the public from the issues by the trivial' and this tea is 'opium for the people'.

reviewing this members 'stories' it's time that the brits took it on home and colonied their own media. it is a sad day to see citizen journalism become the DOS of newsgathering, backward compatible to TV. drivel i say!

Fripouille

at 05:07 on February 6th, 2009

Hello,

Oh, you too are interested in code? Oh, I see. I know several people here who do to. Do you know them?

I have seen you elsewhere on the site, asking that opinions concerning world events be taken down because you do not agree with them, and even that the site should close down!.

So, let's see, in your opinion, no articles like this one, no articles on current events you don't agree with...the site should close down, and I suppose the list shall grow longer.

Hmmm, smells like intellectual fascism to me....

dowdinsk

at 05:28 on February 6th, 2009

hey malcontent aka uueencode, etc, etc, etc, etc, you were a favourite of mine, alas no more now you've gone rogue too. I do think you have some constructive insights to offer on web2.0 and such, but now you're just more numbers on the list of those being disproportionate, and getting in the way of real issues.

Barry Artiste

at 23:04 on February 5th, 2009

But Amy, I know the Chinese can make some pretty tiny tea cups, though I think pouring boiling hot tea into those tiny,tiny cups would be a scalding occasian. But who in their right mind has the ability to climb these tress to serve tea to Bugs, ya gotta stop dreaming through fantasy now. For one, emaciated bandy legged Dago waiters with 9 inch hips are not up to the task to climb trees with a tiny tray of tea, and who in their right mind would wear flannel lumberjack shirts with waiter aprons., Now who is dreaming?

Fripouille

at 05:11 on February 6th, 2009

Hi Amy!

I'm all for this as long as they don't touch Tetley's tea, as I only drink Tetley's, and strong enough to stand a teaspoon up in!

More seriously though, it does seem that they'd need a lot of it to deal with the problem...

I wonder if the ingredient could be produced in other ways and in larger quantity.

Twain (not verified)

at 21:54 on April 9th, 2009

Great work you're doing. I love to see when people care for others and willing the share any information with them. I love to do that too. Sometimes I wonder if I talk to much, but I can't help it, I want to help. Thanks again.