They’re coming, and they need no introduction: beetles. Southern pine beetles that is. 
For years now, I’ve watched one pine after another turn reddish-yellow-brown as it dies. Then the needles disappear, leaving a denuded skeleton of a tree, which loses its bark in places and rots. 
So far, my neighbors and I have lost over thirty trees. It’s not a quiet death. Stand near a tree and you can hear the beetles chewing, and eventually you’ll hear either saws or a loud slam into the earth. Not really a choice is it?
Have pine beetles given you a big problem? What can you do?
Depends on where you live. Pine beetles illustrate the difference between living in the deep country and in a city’s tree-lined fringes. 
In the suburbs, opportunistic men drive around looking for the dying reddish-brown tops of pines. They knock on your door, ready to take the tree down that very moment. From two-man bands to incorporated tree crews, the offers keep coming. 
I’ll not bother to list fees but it isn’t cheap. The tree cutters know that you have a serious problem on your hand that ties directly to your homeowner’s insurance. Doing nothing is not an option, as a neighbor learned the hard way. More on that later. 
In the country, folks know a phone call takes care of a tree problem promptly and less costly. A lot of men folk own saws and know what to do. To do nothing is to err. A dead pine that has stood way too long? Well, it becomes a serious threat to life and property. Cutting a rotten tree threatens the men with saws and ropes. 
Back in March I was showering when a crash rocked the house. I had just checked radar to see a squall line heading my way. Then, a huge crash shook the house mightily. “That can’t be a thunderstorm,” I thought. “That has to be a tree.”
It was. My neighbor’s 65-foot tall pine that had died long ago from pine beetles came down. It crushed my newly rebuilt deck, destroyed a patio table, tore down my gutter, and knocked holes into the roof over the kitchen. 
In the midst of a storm I went onto the roof to put down a tarp. That same day I put a call into my homeowners insurance company and then all that insurance “stuff” began ... photos, adjustors ... calls and emails. A few weeks later I got a new roof, restored deck, etc. when both my neighbor’s insurance and mine covered a good bit of the damage. 
I wasn’t out of the woods though. I had 3 pines dying from beetles and another neighbor had two trees turning reddish-yellow, all within striking distance of my house. 
A beetle drilling its way into a tree releases scents that attract other southern pine beetles to the tree. Soon mites and fungi join the beetles. It doesn’t take long for a gang like this to kill a tree.
I miss the country but love the city’s conveniences. Taking down a tree, however, isn’t convenient. I didn’t know any fellows with saws, so I hired one of those professional crews. After some negotiating I arranged for them to cut my neighbor’s trees and mine. They reminded me of trapeze artists, swinging from tree to tree. They were fast, efficient, and professional. A couple of thousand dollars later our homes were safe. 
Just yesterday, though, I saw another of my neighbor’s trees is dying. Here we go again. The beetles are coming. Too bad we don’t live in the country.