The Spruce Beetle is a bark beetle that attacks spruce trees by burrowing into the bark to get into the phloem of weakened and windfallen trees as well as the spruce tree logging debris. However during epidemic beetle populations they will also attack healthy trees of all ages. In the PG area they attack white spruce and engelmann spruce and the hybrid spruce. Prince George is currently battling a significant spruce beetle infestation in the north that has killed large swaths of spruce timber.
The latin name for the Spruce Beetle is Dendroctonus rufipennis.
The spruce trees are killed from the feeding beetle larvae. The larvae feeding cuts off the flow of nutrients and water for the tree between the roots and the needles.
For more information on the spruce beetle a handy field reference guide can be found here:https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/farming-natural-resources-and-industry/forestry/forest-health/forest-health-docs/field_guide_to_forest_damage_in_bc_web.pdf
All hides for this Spruce Geo Art Series are camoed pill bottles or bison tubes. Each container contains a logsheet sealed in a tiny zip lock bag. Please bring your own pencil. This cache is not hidden at the posted coordinates, however all the information you need is on this cache page. North 53 39.464 West 122 57.398
Photo Credit: Spruce bark beetle image from the Field Guide to Forest Damage in British Columbia - Natural Resources Canada / Canadian Forest Service / Pacific Forestry Center Forest Health Network- Figure 70, page 52.
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