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Malibu surfside news | October 18, 2018 | 19
Don’t Panic, It’s Organic
Beating the bark beetle — a ‘losing effort?’
Andy Lopez
Contributing Columnist
Invisible Gardener
Recently, I received
an email from a
reader who was
befuddled by my Oct. 4
column on bark beetles
(“Tips for treating trees
with bark beetles”).
“Control of these
wretched little creatures is
often a valiant but losing
effort,” he wrote. “Because
their damage is below
the bark, we often don’t
go look for them until
damage appears and by
then, they have established
themselves in a tree and
are very difficult to get rid
of in my experience. Your
advice to [treat] trees with
the compost, mulch, and
rock dust when the tree is
healthy and uninfected is
good advice if other trees
in the neighborhood have
observed the damage.
“I guess my problem
is treating or protecting
individual trees is one
thing but that our forests
are being destroyed by this
insect at an alarming rate.
It is my understanding
that the beetle is normally
controlled by freezing
temperatures which kills
the larvae. Our forests
often create their own
mulch, and the soil they
are in normally contains all
the minerals they need yet
the beetles thrive and work
their way through our pine
forests in particular at will.
“So your suggestions
are noteworthy, but I fear
that the changes we are
seeing in the climate may
defeat any efforts by man
to control these wretched
little insects.”
OK, my turn. First of
all, I totally agree with this
reader on many levels.
I understand that dealing
with global forest issues is
something that appears to
be out of our control now.
We are on a train that is
moving faster and faster
toward the cliff. Many
folks are still in denial
about the cliff as well as
the train we are on. The
faster the train goes, the
harder it is not only to stop
it but also to change tracks!
Currently, I am trying to
deal with this on two levels.
The first is on a global
level, but I have a small,
unheard of voice in the
matter. I started the alarm
around 20 years ago with
my show called “It’s the
Trees” and then again with
another show I call “It’s
Alive!” Both shows try
not only to explain what is
happening but also to give
us practical advice on what
can be done on a massive
global scale.
I suggested back then, as
I do now, that we must stop
cutting down forests to
raise cattle or palm oil. We
should pay these countries
to keep their forest and
have them make money
from not cutting them
down. We need to help
these countries to grow
while helping them to not
make the same mistakes
that we have made over the
years.
We are still making massive
mistakes in the way
we are dealing with this
problem at home. Through
our misuse of our natural
resources, we have weakened
the chain that binds
us all together. Now, other
countries feel that they too
have the right to use their
resources and rightly point
to us as examples.
But I am going offcourse
here.
The worldwide problems
need to be dealt with by
the whole of humankind
and that, in itself, is a
magic trick that we are not
capable of doing.
We can, however, act as
individuals.
We can strive to promote
and maintain our own
natural resources.
This starts at home. If
you are lucky enough to be
a homeowner, then you can
maintain a healthy living
environment, including
healthy pest-free trees and
plants.
Your question about bark
beetles and trace minerals
is a valid one. Yes, folks
never notice the problem
until the bark beetles have
established themselves and
by then removing them is
almost impossible. Notice I
use the word almost.
You can control and
remove bark beetles from
your tree(s), but that requires
some knowledge of
how to do that and therein
lies the problem.
Professionals have been
trained to react to a problem.
That usually means
they are reacting too late,
especially since it doesn’t
really solve the problem.
If you own trees, then
you should be proactive
rather than reactive.
I feel that if we each
take care of our own, and
if cities take care of their
individual trees and the
government takes care
of their own trees, that it
would be an essential start
to slowing the fast-moving
train we are on.
As a homeowner, we
have to pay attention to
the basics, as is also the
case with our bodies. The
food we eat determines our
health, and this is true of
trees. Yes, the soil should
generally have all the
trace minerals needed by
trees for healthy pest- and
disease-free growth. But
things have not been normal
for a long time. When
was the last time an animal
died under your tree?
Your statement, “It is
my understanding that
the beetle is normally
controlled by freezing
temperatures which kills
the larvae,” is partially
accurate. The truth is that
beetles and other pests are
normally controlled by the
trace minerals they have or
do not have.
The transference of trace
minerals around the world
did not develop overnight,
and animals play a
significant role. Remove
these animals and birds
from the picture, and you
will see where the problem
lies. Animals play several
major roles, but none are
as important as the transference
of minerals and
microbes to the soil.
Animals have traveled
the whole world, whether
by flying, swimming or
just roaming. In doing so,
they took minerals and
microbes from one place
and deposited them onto
another site.
Remineralization takes
a very long time. Bacteria
has evolved to digest minerals
from rocks. Rocks
don’t move by themselves.
It takes nature to do that.
That’s why we have
ice ages. Glaciers do
many things but, to me,
they crush rocks in the
remineralization process.
Since we are using up this
mineral reserve faster than
nature can make, we must,
therefore, provide both
microbes and minerals into
our environment. That is
why it is essential that we
start to give our trees the
minerals they need now
and not wait till they get
sick. By then, it is, indeed,
too late.
Any questions? Email me at
andylopez@invisiblegardener.
com.
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