Pine Beetle Traditional Geocache

This cache is a short hike up a trail in a Towns County recreation area that is usually very quiet and muggle-free.  You are looking for a medium sized cylinder about 6 inches long not far off the trail, in an area with substantial pine beetle damage. Can be accessed from land or water.

The southern pine beetle (SPB), Dendroctonus frontalis Zimmermann, is the most destructive insect pest of pine in the southern United States. A recent historical review estimated that SPB caused $900 million of damage to pine forests from 1960 through 1990 (Price et a1. 1992). This aggressive tree killer is a native insect that lives predominantly in the inner bark of pine trees. Trees attacked by SPB often exhibit hundreds of resin masses (i.e., pitch tubes) on the outer tree bark. The galleries created by both the adult beetles and their offspring can effectively girdle a tree, causing its death.  Consequently, once SPB have successfully colonized a tree, the tree cannot survive, regardless of control measures.