• Blog
  • Events
  • Gardening Videos
  • Resources
    • Gardening Guide
    • Online Resources
  • Garden Helpline
    • Collecting Samples of Plants and Insects
  • The Learning Garden
    • Plant of the Month in The Learning Garden
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • The Association
    • Contact Us
    • Speakers Bureau
    • Sponsors
      • Sponsors: 2019 Garden Tour
      • Sponsors: 2019 WNC Gardening Symposium
  • Donate
Extension Master GardenerSM Volunteers of Buncombe County
Blog / Plant Insects / Insect Pests / Pest Alert: Nantucket Pine Tip Moth

Pest Alert: Nantucket Pine Tip Moth

April 17, 2020

If you’re spending more time outside as the weather warms, you might notice problems in your landscape. One homeowner called the Garden Helpline about white webbing on the ends of some of the branches of a tree purchased as a live Christmas tree. She planted the tree in a special place in her yard as a reminder of that happy occasion. Although she knew it was a pine, diagnosing the problem required determining what pine species it was. The number of needles in each needle bundle can identify pine species. She reported that there were 3 needles in each bundle, helping identify the tree as a Scotch pine (Pinus sylvestris), a very popular Christmas tree species.

Scotch PIne three needle bundle
Three needle bundle pine

Damage: The description of the webbing she saw helped determine that her tree was infested with the Nantucket pine tip moth, (Rhyacionia frustrana). Other signs include:

• Deformed growth (stem crooking) or a reduction in growth (bushy or stunted growth);
• Fecal deposits may be present in the webbing on the outside of infested shoots;
• Trees can be killed when exposed to repeated Nantucket pine tip moth larval infestations.

Damage caused by Nantucket Pine Tip Moth

Identification:

• In North Carolina, this pest overwinters as pupae in hollowed out pine shoots;
• On warm days as early as January and February, new moths emerge to mate;
• Adult moths are 1/4 inches (6.3 mm) long with the head and body covered with gray scales. The forewings are covered with brick-red to copper-colored patches that are separated by irregular bands of gray and white scales;
• Adult females lay white to opaque eggs on shoots, needles, or terminal growth in spring;

Adult Nantucket Pine Tip Moth

• From 5 to 30 days later, young larvae (caterpillars) hatch from eggs and feed on the surface of new growth. These are 1/16 inches (1.6 mm) long, and cream-colored with a black head. They then move to the shoot tips, construct protective webs at the base of buds, and begin to bore into the bud or stem.
• Feeding continues inside the bud or stem until the caterpillars are fully grown in 3 to 4 weeks. The caterpillars then pupate inside the damaged stem.

Management:

• Proper watering, fertilization, and mulching practices to keep pine trees healthy;
• For minor infestations, you can hand prune infested shoots if branches are reachable.

Susceptible pine species:

• Other three needle bundle pines, which include pitch pine (P. rigida) and loblolly pine (P. taeda).
• Two needle bundle pines are highly susceptible to infestation. These include Japanese red pine (P. densifolia), mountain pine (P. mugo) and Japanese black ine (P. thunbergii).

Resistant pine species:

  • Eastern white pine (P. strobus) and Virginia pine (P. virginiana), which have five needle bundles.

                                        Article by Bob Wardwell, Extension Master Gardener Volunteer

For more Information:
Nantucket Pine Tip Moth: https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/nantucket-pine-tip-mo

How to Identify Pines: https://smallfarms.cornell.edu/2019/02/arent-they-all-just-pines-how-to-id-conifer-trees/

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)

Categories Insect Pests Tags insects, Nantucket Pine Tip Moth, pines

NC Cooperative Extension; Empowering People, Providing Solutions

Blog posts written and published by Extension Master GardenerSM volunteers in Buncombe County.

Subscribe via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to our blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 3,238 other subscribers

Recent Posts

  • The Garden Helpline Is OPEN. Master Gardeners Continue to Work Remotely to Answer Your Questions.
  • Gardening Video: Starting Seeds and Growing Transplants Indoors
  • Online Seminar: Gardening in EarthBoxes®, February 27
  • Garden Planning: Think Small!
  • Gardening Video: Winter Sowing

Categories

  • Events
    • Extension in Buncombe County
    • Extension Master Gardener Info Table
    • Gardening Videos
    • Lectures & Seminars
    • School Garden Grants
  • Flowers
    • Bulbs
    • Perennials & Biennials
    • Roses
    • Wildflowers
  • Gardening for Children
  • General Gardening
    • Installation & Planting
    • Mulch
    • Native Plants
    • Propagation
    • Seasonal Chores
    • Soils & Fertilizers
  • Houseplants
  • Landscaping
    • Firewise Landscaping
    • Landscape Design
    • Site Conditions
    • Water Management
  • Lawns
  • Pest Management
    • Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
    • Invasive Plants
    • Pesticides
    • Weeds
  • Plant Diseases
  • Plant Insects
    • Beneficial Insects
    • Insect Pests
    • Invasive Insects
  • Shrubs
  • Special Gardens
    • Container Gardens
    • Herb Gardens
    • Pollinator Gardens
    • Rain Gardens
    • Shade Gardens
  • Trees
  • Vegetables & Fruits
  • Wildlife

Contact Us

Buncombe County Extension Office
49 Mount Carmel Road
Asheville, NC 28806
Helpline 828-255-5522

Events

Keep up with our events by subscribing to the blog or checking our Events Calendar.

Explore the Archives

Back to Top

Copyright © 2021 Extension Master Gardeners of Buncombe County. Privacy Policy.