Getting to Know the Enemy: Southern Pine Beetle

The needles on your pine trees have gradually changed from green to yellow. Then from yellowish to red and finally they have become brown. It might be fall, but you know that isn't normal.

The likely culprit for the transformation of your pine trees is the Southern Pine Beetle. It accounts for as much pine destruction as any other pest or insect in the southern United States, Mexico and Central America. Below are some facts to know that can help you become acquainted with the Southern Pine Beetle.


The beetle's impact can stretch from Pennsylvania to Texas and from Arizona and Texas to Honduras. Typically, outbreaks are confined to these areas. Although it can attack all types of pine trees, the usual victims are loblolly, shortleaf, Virginia, pond, and pitch pines. If those are planted in your area, Ftce math you should keep an even more watchful eye.
The impact of the beetle can be very pronounced. The average annual tree mortality may exceed the equivalent of 100 million board feet of saw timber. To put that in perspective, an outbreak of the Southern Pine Beetle between 1973 and 1977 killed the equivalent of 4.5 billion board feet of timber.
There are other indicators of a beetle infestation, other than the discoloring of pine needles. You will see the tree dripping resin from the point of attack on your tree. That forms a small pitch tube the size of a piece of popcorn. Adult beetles will form winding, S-shaped galleries that cut across one another. The shape of the galleries is what distinguishes the Southern Pine Beetle from other pests in the south.
Extreme temperatures control beetle populations. When temperatures fall below 0 degrees or above 95 degrees Fahrenheit for days at a time, beetles die in large margins. This is a major factor in outbreak fluctuation from year to year.
Certain insecticides, like lindane or chlorpyrifo, can help protect trees from beetle attacks. It is applied to the trunk of the three until it is thoroughly wet. Depending on the area, other methods for suppressing beetles include the rapid salvage and utilization of infested trees or the piling and burning of infested materials.


From your yard to parks and national forests, the impact that the Southern Pine Beetle can have on our pine trees is vast. With these facts, you can spot and prevent further infestation.

G. Robertson is a certified arborist and the owner of Yellow Ribbon Tree Experts, an Atlanta tree services company. Yellow Ribbon Tree Experts specializes in Atlanta tree removal and uses only the best arboricultural practices.