The Southern Pine Beetle has arrived on the Cape and Islands. These hole-boring beetles can quickly kill mature pitch pines and infest multiple trees. Nicole Keleher, Habitat Restoration & Management Program Manager, MassWildlife, Shea Fee Coastal Ecologist for the Trustees on Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, and Rachael Freeman, Executive Director Nantucket Land Bank Commission join us. We’ll talk about where the beetles have been spotted, what to look for in your own trees, and management strategies for single trees and large infestations. For more information about the Southern Pine Beetle:
https://www.mass.gov/info-details/assessment-of-pitch-pine-vulnerability-to-southern-pine-beetle
Then, with the warming temperatures ticks are more active. We talk with Escher Cattle, entomologist for Barnstable County and Patrick Roden Reynolds, biologist and director of the Martha’s Vineyard Tick Program. We’ll discuss tick research and tick bite prevention measures.
