Destructive Beetle
Last updated 9/11/2015 at 10:39am
Who would have thought that a small insect like the Bark Beetle could be such a deadly creature? This insect is now increasing the chances of wildfires in California. Trees become weaker and brittle given California’s current Drought situation and an alarming increase in temperatures. The beetles live, eat and reproduce in the inner bark of weakened trees, killing them and making them more susceptible to fueling a wild fire.
Bark beetles prefer warmer temperatures to reproduce, and as temperatures rise in forests, these insects can increase their numbers and move into and kill living trees, also. Bark beetles have killed more than 12 million trees in California.
People can mitigate the risk of a wildfire by removing dead trees, thinning overgrown trees and by watering them as necessary.
