Life Cycle of the Balsam Fir Bark Beetle
The western balsam fir bark beetle is a member of a family of beetles that have the ability to severely damage and sometimes kill various types of trees. These beetles infiltrate the bark of a tree and weaken it, typically making the tree susceptible to disease.
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Polygamous
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There are three or four females for every male balsam fir bark beetle, according to the University of British Columbia website, meaning the insect is polygamous in nature.
Egg Stage
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The female bark beetle lays its tiny eggs just under the surface of a tree's outer bark; usually it chooses a balsam fir tree but sometimes a lodgepole pine or an Engelmann spruce.
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Effects
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The eggs of the bark beetle hatch and the larvae will then bore holes that form a complex maze under the bark, adjacent to the area where the female laid her eggs. They increase these "galleries" in size as they mature.
Time Frame
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In time, the larvae enter the pupae stage, turning into adult bark beetles. These beetles emerge during any time of the calendar year but most commonly in the latter portion of spring or in late summer.
Lifespan
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In most cases, the A Cut Above Forestry website states, the balsam fir bark beetle has a two-year life cycle, staying the first winter under the bark in its larval stage and then the second as an adult. It then will begin the mating process anew and die shortly after.
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