Nantucket Pine Tip Moth
Rhyacionia frustrana |
| USDA Forest Service. 1979. A guide to common insects and diseases of forest trees in the northeastern United States. Northeast. Area State Priv. For., For. Insect and Disease Management., Broomall, PA. p. 123, illus. |
Although this tip moth attacks nearly all species of pine in the Northeast (except white pine), it prefers Scots and shortleaf pines. Young stands are the most vulnerable, with attacks resulting in height growth reduction, stem deformities, poor cone crops, and occasional mortality.
Tip moths overwinter as pupae in the infested trees. Adult moths emerge in early spring, and females deposit yellowish eggs on the needles, axils of needles and stems, or on the buds. Young larvae feed on needles, usually causing the browning of several needles near the terminal buds. Later the larvae consume the buds and bore into the terminal shoots and twigs themselves. The larvae is yellowish to pale brown, with the head and thoracic shield dark brown. Mature larvae are about 5/8 inch in length. Low winter temperatures limit the Nantucket pine tip moth in the northern portion of its range. There may be two to three generations per year in the Northeast.
Adult(s); on loblolly pine needle
James A. Richmond, USDA Forest Service |
Larva(e); feeding at base of needles
David J. Moorhead, The University of Georgia |
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