Origin

Tomicus piniperda is native to most of Europe and Asia.

Life Cycle

Adult Tomicus piniperda overwinter in the shoots or on the bark of pine trees. The beetles exit the overwintering site and begin flying about when the temperature reaches or exceeds 53.6°F (12°C). The first flight usually takes place in late winter or early spring. Adults lay eggs on stumps, logs, and dying Scots and related pines, excavating a brood gallery, which is up to 9.8 in. (25 cm) long and parallel to the wood grain. The larvae feed under the bark and make small side tunnels from the brood gallery. The immature stage usually lasts from April until June. The larvae pupate under the bark and the adults emerge throughout the summer. Adults can fly several kilometers in search of new hosts and there is one generation per year.

Distribution

Tomicus piniperda is also now found in the United States from Illinois to Vermont and south to Virginia. It is thought to have come to the United States with wood pallets, dunnage, and shipping containers arriving on ships coming into the Great Lakes ports. It was first recorded in Ohio in 1992 and was quickly found in other states bordering the Great Lakes.

Control Efforts

Remove dead and dying Scots Pines to remove breeding sites for Tomicus piniperda and reduce the attractiveness of plantations to beetles that might be in their vicinity. Tomicus piniperda is not likely to become a problem on garden trees. In Virginia, by law, all counties that have records for pine shoot beetles must be under quarantine. The quarantine requires that all commercial growers of Christmas trees must be under a compliance agreement with the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS).

Resources

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• Fact Sheet - USDA APHIS PPQ
• Fact Sheet (Español) - USDA APHIS PPQ
• Screening Aids for Exotic Bark Beetles in the Northeastern United States - USDA Forest Service
• The Atlas of Forest Insect Pests - The Polish Forest Research Institute
• Xilofág rovarok - Xylophagous insects - Hungarian Forest Research Institute
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Selected Images

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Invasive Listing Sources

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• Delaware Invasive Species Council Invasive Species List
• Idaho Invasive Species Act
• Invasive Species of Concern in Georgia
• Maryland Invasive Species Council - Invasive Species of Concern in Maryland
• National Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey Target Species - 2015
• New Jersey Invasive Species Strike Team 2017 Invasive Species List
• North American Forest Commission Exotic Forest Pest Information System
• Pests not known to occur in the United States or of limited distribution
• South Carolina Plant Pest List
• USDA APHIS Regulated Pest List
• Virginia Invasive Species Management Plan 2012
• West Virginia Invasive Species Strategic Plan and Volunteer Guidelines 2014

References

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Common Name Reference: Web Search - http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/pest_al/shootbeetle/shootbeetle.htm
Scientific Name Reference: Fauna Europaea - http://www.faunaeur.org/full_results.php?id=250004