Effigy of invasive pest set on fire in South Dakota

RAPID CITY, South Dakota — In what has become an annual winter tradition, hundreds of people carrying torches set fire to a giant wooden beetle effigy in Custer, South Dakota, to raise awareness of the destructive impact of the mountain pine beetle on forest land in the Black Hills.

On Saturday night, Custer firefighters prepared and lit the torches for residents to carry in a march to the pyre in the 11th Burning Beetle fest, the Rapid City Journal reported.

People set the tall beetle effigy on fire amid drum beats and chants of "Burn, beetle, burn". Firefighters kept watch, warning participants not to throw the torches, even as some people launched the burning sticks into pine trees piled at the base of the beetle. Fireworks dazzled overhead.

The Burning Beetle event is a vibrant display of unity and resolve. According to the news website bnnbreaking.com, the night resonated with drum beats and chants, while a talent show and a "bug crawl" added a dash of entertainment and eccentricity.

Each torch carried by the marchers stands as a beacon of hope, symbolizing the community's collective fight against the beetle infestation.

The US Forest Service calls the mountain pine beetle "the most aggressive, persistent and destructive bark beetle in the western United States and Canada". Adult beetles are dark brown to black, and cylindrically shaped.

The service also said that methods of direct control include felling and burning, debarking, or solarizing infested trees. However, effects of direct control are only temporary, so the treatment must be implemented yearly as long as beetle infestations exist.

The Black Hills have experienced several outbreaks of the beetle since the 1890s, the most recent being from 1996 to 2016, affecting 1,820 square kilometers, according to the South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Agencies via Xinhua