Pine Shoot Beetle

  • Pine Shoot Beetle
    Pine Shoot Beetle
  • Damage to tree branch
    Damage to tree branch
  • Damage to tree
    Damage to tree

Pine Shoot Beetle

Tomicus piniperda

Order: 
Coleoptera
Family: 
Scolytidae

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Description

Also referred to as PSB, bark or engraver beetle. Adults vary in color between reddish brown and black. About 3-5mm long, cylindrical bodies. Larvae are white with brown heads, up to 5 mm long. One year life cycle.

Host Plants

Pines (Pinus spp.)

Pathway of Introduction and Spread

First found in Ohio in 1992; originally from Europe. Spreads through the movement of nursery stock and pine wood products.

Symptoms

Wilting on new branch shoots from burrowing adults. Stunted tree growth. Larval feeding galleries throughout the trees.

Location in Nebraska

No known infestations in Nebraska. Currently found in several Northeast and Midwest states in the U.S., including nearby states of Iowa and Minnesota.

More Information

USDA website

Photo Credits: 

Gyorgy Csoka, Hungary Forest Research Institute, Bugwood.org
Beat Forster, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research, Bugwood.org