Western US: Verbenone is found in herbal tea and works to discourage beetle kill

A new study paid for by the U.S. Forest Service has showed that
applying verbenone, which is found in herbal teas, to trees resulted
in fewer insect attacks, scientists said. The aerial application of
flakes could provide a way to treat infestations on a large scale and
limit spread into millions of acres of trees. The beetles have wreaked
havoc in stands of lodgepole pines across the West. The natural
substance could be an alternative to insecticides, which can have
negative environmental effects, researchers said.

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Forest experts worry that large outbreaks of beetles may increase
global warming by converting forests from carbon sinks to carbon
sources. The study found verbenone treatments reduced the level of
beetle attacks to about a third of that in untreated plots in both
California and Idaho. Future studies will test a biodegradable
formulation of the flakes.

The study, which appears in the February issue of Forest Ecology and Management, was carried out in California and Idaho. Researchers treated 10 plots at two sites — one near Mount Shasta and another in Idaho’s Bitterroot Mountains.

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