common pine shoot beetle, larger pine shoot beetle Tomicuspiniperda (Linnaeus, 1758)
Origin
Tomicus piniperda is native to most of Europe and Asia.
Life Cycle
Adult Tomicus piniperda overwinter in the shoots or on the bark of pine trees. The beetles exit the overwintering site and begin flying about when the temperature reaches or exceeds 53.6°F (12°C). The first flight usually takes place in late winter or early spring. Adults lay eggs on stumps, logs, and dying Scots and related pines, excavating a brood gallery, which is up to 9.8 in. (25 cm) long and parallel to the wood grain. The larvae feed under the bark and make small side tunnels from the brood gallery. The immature stage usually lasts from April until June. The larvae pupate under the bark and the adults emerge throughout the summer. Adults can fly several kilometers in search of new hosts and there is one generation per year.
Distribution
Tomicus piniperda is also now found in the United States from Illinois to Vermont and south to Virginia. It is thought to have come to the United States with wood pallets, dunnage, and shipping containers arriving on ships coming into the Great Lakes ports. It was first recorded in Ohio in 1992 and was quickly found in other states bordering the Great Lakes.
Control Efforts
Remove dead and dying Scots Pines to remove breeding sites for Tomicus piniperda and reduce the attractiveness of plantations to beetles that might be in their vicinity. Tomicus piniperda is not likely to become a problem on garden trees. In Virginia, by law, all counties that have records for pine shoot beetles must be under quarantine. The quarantine requires that all commercial growers of Christmas trees must be under a compliance agreement with the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS).