SOUTH DAKOTA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: April 2, 2012
Media Contact: Greg Josten, 605-394-2395

Mountain Pine Beetle Flight Expected in July

PIERRE, S.D. - A recent report from Colorado that said mountain pine beetles have two generations per year, rather than one, is raising unnecessary alarm in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

“It has been known for decades that mountain pine beetle generation time differs throughout the West;” said Ray Sowers, State Forester for the South Dakota Department of Agriculture (SDDA). “The mountain pine beetle takes two years to develop in the higher elevations of northern Montana, and there are two generations per year in the lower elevations of California. The development time relates to the temperature of the area.”

While the winter in the Black Hills has been mild compared to past years, it has not been warm enough to significantly change beetle development, he said.

“We had samples collected on Friday, and the entomologists found that most of the beetles were still in the larval stage, just where they typically are at this time of year,” Sowers said.  “Consequently, we do not anticipate any major changes in the flight period and certainly not two generations of flights this year.”

To provide landowners with up-to-date information on the upcoming beetle flight, SDDA will provide a bi-monthly census of beetle development from now until the flight period begins in July.

Agriculture is South Dakota's No. 1 industry, generating nearly $21 billion in annual economic activity and employing more than 80,000 South Dakotans.  The South Dakota Department of Agriculture's mission is to promote, protect, preserve and improve this industry for today and tomorrow.  Visit us online at http://sdda.sd.gov or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

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*Sowers (SOW’-erz)