A Verbenone patch nailed to the nort side of a tree.
A Verbenone patch nailed to the nort side of a tree.
Gary nailing Verbenone to the pine tree.
Gary nailing Verbenone to the pine tree.

The hormone packets were placed as directed by the Verbenone manufacturer: On the north sides of the trees, 12 feet above the ground, and in an approximately 30 foot grid. The timing of hormone placement in late June and early July is expected to coincide with the completion of metamorphosis from egg to adult and the emergence of mature beetles from trees infested in the previous summer by their parent beetles. Beginning in early July, forest owners can look for the presence of distinctive "pitch tubes" on their trees, which are the signs of beetle infestation.

Heavily infested trees should be removed from the forest or felled and peeled to kill the beetles.