Yellowhead County has brought in Beetle Block Verbenone to give residents an option when it comes to battling Mountain Pine Beetle (MPB).
Beetle Block Verbenone is a synthetically produced anti-aggregating pheromone that works by repelling newly arriving beetles. The presence of Verbenone pheromones is an indicator to them that the tree is already full of MPB and to keep moving on to a different area.
Sales for Verbenone begin in May and continue on throughout the summer until supplies are gone.
The pouches will be sold for:
$10 apiece *
OR
$90 for a 10 pack *
Typically, only one pouch is needed for singular lone standing trees. If you have a stand of multiple trees you can place pouches on any high object (2.5-3.5meters above ground) every 10 to 15 meters throughout the stand of Pine.
*2022 Prices for Verbenone – please contact Yellowhead County Agricultural Services for the most up-to-date prices.
We are recommending Verbenone to anyone who is concerned about high-valued Pine trees in their yard subject to an MPB attack. This is not an economical solution for someone with many acres of Pine trees but it’s good for those who have a few trees in their yard that they would hate to see die because of the beetles.
Yellowhead County Agricultural Services recommends that anyone interested in using Verbenone this summer should have their pouches purchased and ready to hang by mid-June.
It is important to note that Verbenone has also been proven to work best in areas with low to moderate beetle pressure. Areas with high levels of the beetles like Robb and Hinton areas may not see as promising of results.
Each verbenone pouch lasts roughly 8 weeks before the pheromone evaporates. The pheromone must be present during the peak flight time of the Mountain Pine Beetle, which usually occurs around mid-July in our region. By hanging the pouch in mid-June you will get about 4 weeks of protection before peak flight and another 4 weeks following peak flights.
It is important to remember that Verbenone does not protect or cure trees that have already been affected by MPB. Verbenone can only protect trees that have not yet been infested.
For F.A.Q.’s about Mountain Pine Beetles and Verbenone visit our Pest and Predator Control page.
You can also find more Mountain Pine Beetle information at:
www.alberta.ca/mountain-pine-beetle-prevent-further-spread.aspx