Pine beetle questions/suggestions.

[Stihl a grasshopper]

I have been noticing some pines and oaks in my area, Southeast Texas, browning slightly or completely lately and had assumed it was from drought conditions. I lost one in my yard but again figured drought combined with losing most all of teh crown in a hurricane last year was the culprit. The other day I noticed another one starting to brown so I did some research and found that it was likely pine beetles. I took a look at my trees and a few nearby which are in the pictures. Any ideas on specific types? I'm going to cut and burn the topped one, and will pay a pro to remove the one next to the powerlines. Any suggestions for the still healthy ones besides a drench systemic insecticide and spraying the trunks as high as I can get? I can water them if necessary from our irrigation well. Thanks!

 

[Stihl a grasshopper]

Other trees nearby. There are lots more, but this is just to give an idea.

 

[ATpro]

Most of the time once tree turns brown or the bark starts slipping the pine beetles have packed up and moved to greener pastures. Look for sawdust around the base of the tree, that is a clear sign you have pine beetles. The weaker a tree is the better chance pine beetles will attack it. Drought conditions, lighting, storm damage and such will weaken the tree.

That picture you posted looks like southern pine beetle larvae. Then again there are 1,000's of species bark beetles out there. One thing to look for is sawdust around the base of the tree and the little holes that look like a shotgun blast with number 9 shot. They may hit the tree low on the trunk or higher depending on the wind direction and speed that day,

Southern Pine Beetles can fly but they glide mostly with the wind to the next tree. Inactive trees from which SPB have already emerged can be felled and be left at the site. Such trees will no longer pose danger, and they produce large numbers of natural enemies that can significantly decrease bark beetle population density.

The Southern pine beetle has a large number of natural enemies, ranging from pathogenic fungi to insect predators and parasitoids. Insects for example have evolved to detect the pheromones of SPB's and lay eggs on trees that have been attacked by SPB's. When hatched the predator’s larvae search for the SPB larvae under the bark. This is the reason I think trying to use insecticide to control SPB's may do more harm than good.

 

[Raintree]

Southern pine beetles have natural enemies that can have a significant impact on their mortality over a wide area, but will probably not provide satisfactory protection of individual or small numbers of trees in a landscape setting.
There are a number of treatments available, inquire about what is recommended from your local agricultural station.
I would identify which trees are worth protecting and talk with a good local arborist about a program.

 

[Ted Jenkins]

I think we here in Southern California should be the Bark Beetle capital of the world since we have had such a great deal of exposure. However when I worked in Oregon we had millions of acres of Bark Beetle infestation.

From the pictures that was posted shows poor health all the way. For a Pine tree to be healthy they need plenty of sunshine all around to keep bark robust. Drought just adds to the weakness. I know a guy who carefully wrapped seven large Pine trees with plastic and they survived.

In general the trees are not worth saving because they show signs of poor health but some times determination can prevail. Many agree that to water trees on the surface is not a good plan. Often driving water tubes down several feet below grade will help. Insecticides is not advised. However capsules are available that can be driven into the trees which allows the sap to carry deterrents up into the tree to prevent larvae from being established. Thanks

 

[ATpro]

There is also another bad boy this could be, the Pine Ips Species (Engraver Beetles).
The lps beetle kills the tree slower, and damage starts with a decrease of top foliage where the top starts to die back, then the whole tree. The lps beetle isn't like the SPB where whole sections will be fired up, there will be maybe one tree or more in a group that will die. A few trees a year here and there, and each year more and more plots will be infested. They like trees 8 inches in diameter or better and will reduce forest profitability to zero in a few years, they take the best first and only leave the pulpwood.

I dislike the lps beetle even more than the SPB because once you have them they stay for the whole timber cycle and cull the best every year. At some point (after loosing 50% of their marketable timber) one says clear cut the place.