Cultural controls that promote tree health and spacing are the primary means to prevent MPB outbreaks. The best long-term means to minimize MPB losses is to thin trees. Consult a professional forester to select the best cultural practices for your land. Logs infested with MPB can be treated in various ways to kill developing beetles before they emerge as adults in summer. Logs may be burned to kill the larvae under bark.
Beetles also die if the bark is removed by peeling or milling.
Burying is another option to kill MPB in infested logs. Following beetle emergence, wood can be used without threat to other trees. Chemical control options for MPB have been greatly limited in recent years. Former treatments that involve ethylene dibromide fumigation have been banned. These treatments were primarily used to kill larvae in trees or adults as they emerge.