Pinyon Insect Enemies

Insect Larvae Are Destructive

© Robert Dailey

Healthy pinyon branches , Robert Dailey

Pinyon pines, as are most pines, are susceptible to a number of insects and other infestations.

Pinyon borers, engraver beetles and pinyon tip moths, are major insect enemies of Pinus edulis.

Pinyon "Pitch Mass" Borer (Dioryctria ponderosae)

The larvae of this moth cause the damage in pinyons. The adult moth lays eggs in July or August. Larvae are pink or yellow with a brown or tan head. They live under the pitch mass (hardened sap around a wound).

Symptoms

Treatment

Ips (Engraver) Beetles (Ips spp.)

These beetles are tiny (from an eighth to a quarter inch long), but don’t let their size fool you. Their larvae can do significant damage to pinyons. These beetles are black or red-brown. They have a cavity or basin on the back of their abdomens. The cavity is lined with spines. The larvae are small, have no legs, and are white or gray, and have black or dark brown heads.

Symptoms

Treatment

Pinyon Tip Moth (PTM) (Dioryctria albovittella)

Pinyon Pitch Nodule Moth (PPNM) (Retinia arizonensis)

The adults of both species are small gray moths, while the larvae are gold or light brown with a dark brown head. The larvae bore into terminal buds and new growth, causing more and more damage as they feed.

Symptoms

Treatment

The adults are exposed in midsummer. Spray the trees with a hard spray of water to dislodge the beetles and knock them off the trees.

Other pests:

Pinyon Needle Scale (Matsucoccus acalyptus)

Pinyon Spindlegall Midge (Pinyonia edulicola)

There are chemicals which can help control these insects and their larvae, but insecticides are indiscrimate killers, destroying beneficial insects as well as undesireable ones.

Related articles include:

  1. Planting and Caring for Pinyon
  2. Pinyon - The Edible Pine

The copyright of the article Pinyon Insect Enemies in Desert/Water-wise Gardens is owned by Robert Dailey. Permission to republish Pinyon Insect Enemies must be granted by the author in writing.


Healthy pinyon branches , Robert Dailey
       


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