What killed my tree?

[Mpelliccia]

View attachment 288996
View attachment 288997
View attachment 288995

Thank!

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Mpelliccia]

The first few pics are another healthy tree of the same type...

The larva is what I found under the bark once I cut the tree that died down.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2

 

[leeson]

Thanks for the pictures. It would be helpful to know where in the U.S. you are located. Different pests are in different regions. That larvae may not be the culprit that killed your tree. A dead tree will attract all kinds of bugs and rot organisms. So it may be that the tree died, for some reason, and the larvae came later. It's hard to know. If you're worried about your other trees, have a local, reputable arborist come take a look for signs of problems.

 

[Raintree]

Number one killer of planted White Pines from my experience is improper installation.

 

[treeseer]

Number one killer of planted White Pines from my experience is improper installation.

+1, and defective roots from nursery are #1a.

Larvae are probably scavenging. dig for the truth--find the topmost root and send a pic.

 

[Mpelliccia]

Thank you for the responses. Answering some of the questions...

I live in Central NJ. I have been in my home for 4 years and tree had been thriving (assuming it was planted at least a few years prior) it was approximately 20ft tall. This past winter all the needles fell off in a matter of a month or 2.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2

 

[hardpan]

I can't answer your question but I will add another one. Your soil, do you have maybe 6" of topsoil and beneath it hard clay? I do and was told locally a white pine root system can not sufficiently penetrate the clay, remain shallow, become weak and easy prey for insects and disease.

 

[Dia67na]

experience is improper installation.

 

[tenthplanet]

what kind of insect larvae are we talking about here?

I think the only one to my knowledge are weevils, but if anyone else has other ideas as to which pests would affect my pine trees let me know!

Also, what do I do to get rid of them?