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Predicting the spread of the mountain pine beetle, currently devastating the lodgepole pine forests of British Columbia, is like watching party guests, according to an ecology expert. Javier Gamarra, a lecturer in environmental systems at Aberystwyth University, has developed a mathematical model to predict the location and extent of future damage. He said that the beetles' spread was determined by winter temperatures, analogous to guests arriving at a party, with "a warm, popular guy" attracting a growing entourage compared with "a shy, cold and lonely soul ending up in a corner".