A Forest Insect Survey in British Columbia. 



By Mr. J. M. Swaine, Assistant Entomologist for Forest Insects, Dept. of AgricuUure, Ottawa. 



The Forest Branch of British Columbia 

 and the Division of Entomology of the 

 Dominion Department of Agriculture work- 

 ing in co-operation have this summer com- 

 menced a Forest Insect Survey of the timber 

 hmits of British Columbia. 



The investigation was made by Mr. J. M. 

 Swaine, Assistant Entomologist for Forest 

 Insects in the Division of Entomology, 

 Ottawa. This Summer's work was primarily 

 a survey to determine the location and 

 extent of forest insect injuries and to decide 

 upon proper control measures for the more 

 serious outbreaks. The territory covered 

 included the Kootenay, Okanagan, Simal- 

 kameen, Lower Coast and Vancouver Island 

 regions. Several destructive outbreaks of 

 bark-beetles were located and studied, and 

 much practical information was obtained 

 for future control work with a variety of 

 forest insects. A large collection of forest 

 insects and their work was made, which will 

 be of great practical and scientific value. 



Much work remains to be done. Inform- 

 ation was obtained of several extensive bodies 

 of dying timber which could not be visited 

 this season. 



||^ The timber of the Lower Coast and Van- 

 couver Island is not at present suffering 

 froni extensive insect outbreaks; but there 

 are incipient attacks which need to be kept 

 under careful observation. Cedar and yellow 

 cypress are quite generally hollow-hearted 

 and stag-headed. These affections are prob- 

 ably always of a fungous origin. No serious 

 insect injury to these trees was found in 

 this Summer's work. In many places the 

 western white pine, Pinus monticola is being 

 killed by the mountain pine bark beetle, 

 Dendroctonus monticolae Hopk. It was found 

 killing green timber, particularly at Cowit- 

 chan Lake and the district about Campbell 

 River. Wherever valuable stands of white 

 pine are held a watch should be kept for 

 attacks by this destructive beetle. Clumps 

 of 'red tops' and scattered 'red' and 'yellow 

 tops' with the bark bearing numerous tubes 

 of gum surmounting vertical tunnels between 

 the bark and the wood, are danger signals, 

 and should receive prompt attention jf the 

 timber is to be saved. 



The Sitka spruce, Picea sitchensia is 

 subject to attack by a destructive bark 

 beetle, Dendroctonus sp. near Menzies' Bay 

 this beetle had bored in fire-injured trees a- 

 bout a burn and was this Summer attacking 

 and killing nearby green timber of large size. 



The spruce gall insects of the genus 

 Chermes are commonly found on the Sitka 

 spruce, and are seriously destructive to 



isolated trees or clumps, particularly in 

 lawns and parks of towns and cities. Stanley 

 Park at Vancouver is suffering from a serious 

 outbreak of these pests. 



The balsam fir Abies grandis is attacked 

 and killed by two species of bark beetle, 

 Hylugops sp. and Eccoptogaster sp. This 

 injury was more noticeable at Alberni and 

 about Campbell River. 



The Douglas fir, which forms the bulk of 

 the timber of the region, is generally in fine 

 condition. Several incipient outbreaks of 

 the Douglas fir bark beetle, Dendroctonus 

 pseudotsuga, should be kept under observation, 

 but we know of no considerable body of 

 dying timber. At Cowitchan Lake and 

 Campbell River isolated red top fir had been 

 killed by this species, and it is everywhere 

 abundant in slash and dying trees. 



The spruce budworn, which was very 

 abundant in many places a few years ago, is 

 now hardly to be noticed. 



Ambrosia beetles of the genus Gnathotrichus 

 and Trypodendron are excessively abundant 

 in dying trees. Their small black tunnels 

 pierce the sap wood, but rarely penetrate 

 more than five inches. The most injurious 

 of the Ambrosia beetles belongs to the genus 

 Platypus of the family Platypodidae. It is 

 very abundant throughout the Lower 

 Coast and Island districts in freshly cut logs 

 of Douglas fir, hemlock, spruce and balsam, 

 and drives its tunnels seven inches and over 

 into the wood. 



The lower part of the Interior, from the 

 railway belt south to the boundary, harbours 

 a large number of destructive forest insects. 

 The bull pine, westerri white pine, or mount- 

 ain pine, lodgepole pine, Engelmann's 

 spruce, western larch and Douglas fir are 

 seriously affected by destructive pests. 



The bull pine is subject to attack through- 

 out its range in British Columbia by three 

 destructive bark beetles. 



The western pine bark beetle, Dendroc- 

 tonus brevicomis Lee. is particularly destruct- 

 ive. The mountain pine bark beetle is almost 

 as serious an enemy to the bull pine as to 

 the white pine from which it receives its 

 name; The red turpentine bark beetle, 

 Dendroctonus valens Lee, is also abundant 

 about the base of green pines attacked by 

 the two more destructive species just men- 

 tioned. Serious injury by these species is 

 evident in many places but the most destruct- 

 ive outbreak appears to be about Princeton. 

 The clumps of red-tops, containing from five 

 to thirty-five trees have already become 

 very numerous, although the dying trees have 



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