Hosts
The insects feed on pine and spruce as well as many other conifers.
Pine Root Collar Weevil
Pathogen Type
Scientific Name
Hylobius radicis
Frequency
2
Severity
3
Symptoms
This insect seldom bothers landscapes because this insect primarily attacks younger trees with trunks from one to four inches in diameter. The adult chews small holes in the bark of small twigs and branches. Bark may fall away in the chewed areas. On large trees the chewing is usually near the end of branches. Needles and shoot beyond the chewed area often die, leaving reddish dead tips, which is considered unsightly. In Illinois, this insect appears to be more common insandy soils.
Cycle
The adults feed at night and hide in the leaf litter during daylight. They overwinter as adults and emerge from late April to June, depending on location. Adults may survive more than one "season" (fall through the following fall). It is not uncommon that they survive two "seasons. Adults lay their eggs under the bark just above and below the soil line of live trees. The larvae feed under the bark at and below the soil line on living trees, causing the tree foliage to yellow and die. They emerge in the fall after pupating in the soil near the trees.
Management
Spray base of tree with a recommended insecticide in mid May and mid August. Remove debris from around the trunk before spraying.
Credit
James E. Schuster, retired Extension Specialist, Horticulture & Plant Pathology and Dr. Philip L. Nixon, Extension Entomologist, Dept. of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois
PathogenID
72
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