Pine Shoot Beetle - Another Important Pest
Summer/Fall 1999 Edition (Volume 16) - S&W Report
The pine shoot beetle is also causing concern among woodlot owners. The pine shoot beetle was first found in 1992 (but had likely been there for at least a decade). Since then, it has spread to 23 countries in southern Ontario, two locations in Quebec, and to at least eight states in the northeastern U.S.

The pine shoot beetle is native to Europe, North Africa and Asia was originally thought to be mostly a benign pest, causing limited damage to pines, primarily Scots pine. In 1998, the situation changed in Ontario. The pine shoot beetle was found to be attacking native pines in high numbers, resulting in tree mortality inn several stands.

Like many other introduced pests, its believed that the pine shoot beetle arrived in North America through imports shipped with wooden crates, wooden pallets, or with logs used to brace loads. The Canadian Food inspection Agency, working in conjunction with the Canadian Forestry Service and the Ministry of Natural Resources, is continuing its surveys for this pest in Ontario.

What Does the Pine Shoot Beetle Look Like?

Adult beetles are 3 to 5 mm long, black or dark brown in color, and cylindrical in shape. There is one generation born per year. Adults generally spend the winter under bark scales at the base of the tree or in the soil where they are insulated by snow. The pine shoot beetle searches for brood sites during the first warm days of spring when daytime high temperatures reach 10 to 12°c. They may fly several kilometers in search of host material for breeding or shoot feeding.
What Damage Do They Cause?
The beetle attacks trees in two ways:
- adults attack one-two-three-year-old healthy shoots by tunneling in the pith towards the tip, resulting in shoot death.
- adults bore under the bark of the main stem if the tree, construct a brood chamber, mate and lay eggs. Developing larvae then feed on the cambium resulting in tree death by girding.
This pest attacks both healthy and stressed trees. All native pines in Ontario are at risk, as well as Austrian, Scots and mugo pines. No practical insecticide treatment exists.
What Can Be Done to Help Prevent an Infestation?

All potential brood material should be removed from infested areas. This includes all pine material: i.e. recently cut stumps, cut trees with bark attached (branches over 5cm in diameter), stressed or dying trees. All material should be chipped, burned or buried under at least 30cm of soil no later than May 31.

For further technical information, please contact Ken Merchant at the Canadian Food Inspections Agency, Guelph, ON at (519) 837-9400.

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