[snippy_about_it]

btw, do the pine beetles look like other beetles? How will we know if we have them.

We have lots of toads, LOL.

[Humal]

We never really "saw" the beetles. The way we first knew something was wrong was when the tops of the trees started turning brown. It seems to start from the top and works down the trees canopy. Then, when we looked at the trunk we could see hundreds of little holes in the outer bark. After the tree was dead, thick layers of the bark would come off, and we could see larvae on the underside.

I don't know if there is anything that can save the tree. One horticulture site I checked said to remove the infected tree and all the pine trees in a wide area around the infected tree.

Some people don't like pine trees, but I love them -- especially on a rainy/misty day. I love to walk among them then. The drip of drops from their needles; the strong smell of pine; and the misty look of the air makes for such a calming setting. During the day, they make a nice thick canopy to block the sun and lower the temperature.