Tomicus piniperda

Common (or larger) pine shoot beetle - Tomicus piniperda L.

 

Holes	Twig hole	Adult
Galleries I	Galleries II	Shoot tip damage
Distribution map

Common (or larger) pine shoot beetle
The common (or larger) pine shoot beetle was first discovered in July 1992, near Cleveland, Ohio (Kucera, 1992). It entered the country on solid wood packing material (USDA APHIS & Forest Service, 2000). Although the United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) has regulated solid wood packing material since 1995, this beetle continues to be detected on shipments (USDA APHIS & Forest Service, 2000). Established populations of this pest are spreading even though APHIS restricts the movement of potentially infested material; the beetle is now found in eleven states and two Canadian provinces (USDA APHIS & Forest Service, 2000). The pine shoot beetle has the potential to cause billions of dollars in damage if it reaches southern pine plantations and western forests; it could severely damage lodgepole pine, Pinus contorta, the most common tree in the northern Rocky Mountains (T. Hofacker, pers. comm., 1999).

Sources
Hofacker, Thomas. 1999. USDA Forest Service, Forest Health Protection, 1601 North Kent Street, Arlington, Virginia 22209, personal communication.

Kucera, D.R. 1992. New introduction, Common pine shoot beetle. Pest Alert, United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Area, NA-PR-??-92.

United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and Forest Service 2000. Pest Risk Assessment for Importation of Solid Wood Packing Materials into the United States. USDA APHIS and Forest Service. August 2000.