 KFXZ 1520. Jeff Palermo. The House Emergency Beetle Subcommittee is meeting in Baton Rouge today. The drought last summer made pine trees extremely susceptible to beetle infestations. Pineville Representative Mike Johnson says they are holding a hearing to discuss ways to combat the issue. The only way you can stop them is to cut about 150 feet around an infested tree. So it's a massive undertaking.