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Bugs That Kill Pine Trees
Bugs That Kill Pine Trees. Pine trees can weather bug attacks when trees are healthy, but when trees are under stress, especially from drought, they are more susceptible to being killed by insect infestations, according to Mary Concklin, extension educator.
Pine trees can weather bug attacks when trees are healthy, but when trees are under stress, especially from drought, they are more susceptible to being killed by insect infestations, according to Mary Concklin, extension educator.
Mountain Pine Beetle
The mountain pine beetle (MPB) commonly affects ponderosa, lodgepole, Scotch and limber pines, and to a lesser degree bristle cone and pinyon pines. First affected are the old, injured, overcrowded and diseased trees. The adult beetles are black and 1/8 to 1/3 inches long. Beetles can attack most of the large trees in an area. Look for symptoms like globs of resin, called pitch tubes, at the site where the beetle tunneling begins. Look for dust, from boring, in crevices or at the base of the tree. A woodpecker feeding on the trunk is another sign of infestation. The tree's crown foliage may turn yellow to reddish. Eggs, larvae, pupae or adult mountain pine beetles under the bark are the most positive signs of infestation.
IPS Engraver beetle
The IPS engraver beetles (Ips avulsus, Ips grandicollis, and Ips calligraphus) kill pine timber in the South. The beetles attack injured and dying trees first. Drought-stricken trees or trees struck by lightning are also likely targets. The adult beetles are 1/8 to 1/5 inches long, with four to six spines on each side and are dark reddish brown to black in color. Boring dust in crevices, or dime-sized pitch tubes on the bark are symptoms of attack.
Southern Pine Beetle
The southern pine beetle (Dendroctonus frontalis Zimmerman) infests and kills all species of pine. The adult is 1/8 inch long and is reddish brown to black with short legs. These pests bore directly into the outer bark of the tree. You will see resin that forms a small pitch tube at the boring site. The beetle deposits blue-stain fungi that speeds the death of the tree. The foliage of infested trees changes color–first yellowish, then reddish and then brown. This beetle may kill several hundred acres of trees.
White Pine Weevil
The white pine weevil (Pissodes strobi) is brown and about ?-inch long with white and tan spots on its body. The head has a long snout with antennae attached. Larvae are legless, ? inch long, with brown heads. The larvae kill the previous two years’ growth and repeated attacks deform and stunt the tree. On small trees, look for resin oozing from holes on the terminal shoot or look to see if the terminal shoot is drooping.
