Prince George and area homeowners are making their contribution to the war against the Douglas fir beetle.

Taking advantage of a program being run out of the Industrial Forestry Service Ltd. office, they’ve purchased more than 17,000 pods of pheromone, at $1 each, in the name of protecting the trees against the bugs.

“People love their Doug fir,” IFS science research specialist Serena Black said.

According to a report in the Prince George Citizen, the pods remain available for purchase but those interested in buying them should move quickly and they may come away disappointed.

“They suggest two weeks before the start of the flight and the Douglas fir beetle will start flying when the median temperature is about 18 degrees,” she said. “So even though it’s a late spring, with all this heat we’ve been getting it’s possible that they’ve kind of woken up and started flying.”

As a result, she said there’s no guarantee the pods will work against the first flight but they may still be helpful against the insect’s second flight, which typically occurs in June.

The pods are available at a cut-rate thanks to a subsidy provided by Carrier Lumber Ltd., Canfor, the Sinclar Group and the Northern Interior Cruising Committee. Normally, they would cost $1.50 each, tax included.

See full report Here.