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According to Karim Gharbi, Extension Agent for Horticulture with CSU Extension in Denver County, the beetles' strength comes from overwhelming trees in massive numbers. "When a mountain pine beetle attacks a tree, it signals to all of its friends through an aggregation pheromone in their feces to tell them, 'Hey, I found a really good host. Dead forests can increase wildfire hazards by adding more combustible material. "When trees are initially killed by these beetles, they create a fuel source higher up," Gharbi said. "Then once the trees die, all of that flammable material is deposited on the forest floor.
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