BOZEMAN – Workers for the city of Bozeman are attaching pheromone packets to city trees, in an attempt to control mountain pine beetles.
Pheromones give off a scent that makes beetles think a tree already is infested.
Beetle infestations turn trees a shade of red and kill them.
City forester Ryon Stover said the city bought 200 packets. A staff memo to the Bozeman City Commission puts the cost at $1,250.
Workers have removed about 80 infected trees from parks, boulevards and other spaces.
Stover says pheromones were chosen over pesticides for ease of application, and because pheromones aren’t hazardous to water flowing through Bozeman.