Pine Bark Beetle Identification and Treatment for Urban Arborists

Decoding Beetle Signs in Southern Pines

An ISA Certified Arborist in Charlotte, NC, encounters confusing beetle evidence: oval “sawyer” holes, shot holes, pitch tubes of varying sizes. Accurate ID drives effective client recommendations.

Beetle Identification Key

• Ips engraver beetles – Shot holes; attack weakened/lightning-struck trees; start in upper trunk/limbs, move down.
• Southern Pine Beetle (SPB) – Shot holes; attacks mid-trunk, not limbs; kills adjacent trees in groups.
• Turpentine beetles – Larger, purple pitch tubes on lower trunk; secondary invaders.
• Sawyer beetles (Monochamus) – Oval exit holes; larvae feed under bark of dead/dying trees; don’t kill live trees.

Urban Treatment Options

Preventive trunk spray: Onyx (bifenthrin) applied to runoff up to ¾ tree height protects for 3–4 months. Use large droplets to minimize drift. Safe for kids/pets once dry.

Systemic soil drench: Bayer Advanced Tree & Shrub Insect Control (imidacloprid) labeled for bark beetles. Applied to soil, translocates to cambium. Useful where spraying is impractical.

Client Recommendations

• Remove dead/dying pines promptly.
• Deep-root fertilize high-value trees to boost vigor.
• Monitor for fresh pitch tubes March–October.
• Spray preventively if neighborhood mortality is high.

Lindane is banned; modern pyrethroids and neonicotinoids are safer, effective alternatives for suburban lots.