What causes this pine tree problem?

[patti24]

Those insect trails are probably made by the pine sawyer beetle. I see those frass markings often. If you rip off more bark, they could still be at work just under cover.

Pine Sawyer Beetles - Oklahoma State University

A page dedicated to understanding Pine Sawyer Beetles, their hosts, symptoms, descriptions and control properties.

entoweb.okstate.edu

The tree would have been stressed by some other cause before they came in to feed. I cannot see any evidence indicating the original cause of distress but I like the ideas mentioned here about looking for similar damage in other trees, inspected the sawn wood and getting your county forester in to inspect.

Thanks for the link! It is helpful to have pictures & info like that. By any chance do you know if these beetles have a strange odour when you squash them??? I have bugs that look like this in two different areas- near the front and back doors of my shop …AND some dying pines within 15 feet of both areas. I will get some pics of the bark in the daylight tomorrow. I have to say…I love trees…and never cut them down…and then I put a pool in two years ago.

I thought the pines were far enough away that they wouldn’t be a problem. Wrong.
They wreak havoc on the skimmer & filter, have destroyed my eavestroughs, COVER my 50’x 25’ deck - getting caught between boards and requiring pressure-washing, and basically do nothing but make hours and hours of extra work for me…that I do NOT need! So I decided a month ago (while cleaning off the deck yet AGAIN) that they are GOING. (My gasification boiler will give them a warm welcome!! )
My chainsaw trigger finger is getting itchy! Hahaha…but I’m going to wait for some assistance though…because 40’ trees on my shop roof is something else I do NOT need!!! If you happen to have any links showing the other beetles being discussed I’d appreciate if you could post them! Also…I put a Russian Black currant bush in a few years ago, about 100’ away from the pines. I was recently told that this shrub/bush carries some kind of disease that affects pine trees. Know anything about that? Thanks for any info you have! Patti

 

[patti24]

Woodpeckers... smh... little devils they are. They can rip holes in the sides of log cabins. Relentless fvcks. I gotta pellet gun and they are sooo smart and aware its very difficult to get even a long range shot at them.
They get the message tho even on a miss, and move on.

Log cabins??? Really? I’ve never heard of them doing that before. Why would they do it?
I thought that wood was destroyed only because they were foraging for bugs?
Unless you’re talking about a cabin that’s in rough shape or falling down- there shouldn’t be any bugs in the logs for them!!
I certainly hope they never decide to hang out at my 1857 log cabin! It won’t be a pellet gun that’ll be scaring them off!

 

[patti24]

I listen for woodpeckers. If I hear them I know that a tree has some sort of bug infection. A few years ago I had the tree guys three doors down cleaning up a yard come over and drop a three trunk pine tree that dropped needles. I cut up what was on the ground. Green wood is the surefire indication that the tree had pine beetles. Another tree had all the signs last year. Sap tracks and dead pine needles beyond regular seasonal pine needle shedding. Odd that only half the single trunk pine died. I finally got around to cutting it down 2 weeks ago. My sick apple trees also have sings of woodpeckers. They are sick with a fungus infection. For the apple trees bugs get in the stressed trees. One dead and another struggling. Once bark is loose you know you were too late to save anything. I live in Georgia where we have enough pine beetle. When I visited Colorado in 1977 and 1978 the mountains were dotted with dead pines from beetles..

I have the exact same thing happening to MY Apple trees!!!! (I’m in Ontario, Canada though). They have some kind of fungus…no one seems to able to tell me what it is. It’s slowly killing the branches…but the APPLES!!! Two trees…I pick up 1500-2000 little green apples off the ground in early spring…and then I literally get THOUSANDS of apples.
I don’t know how trees can look so terrible yet produce like crazy.
I’m reading this thread because I’ve got some issues with pine trees as well. But also have something killing all my spruce trees from the bottom up. Some kind of fungus, that again, no one can identify. I think the problem is two-fold…Manitoba (swamp) maples that grow like weeds have taken over the outer perimeter of my property and shading the spruces too much (been working on THAT problem with the chainsaw…) but the other thing is that in June 2017 a massive flood came through my property. My property acted like a funnel and came through the 4 acres at 5’ high. Oh yah. Not kidding.

It was right after most people had finished spraying, and when the river receded it left behind inches of clay that covered EVERYTHING. Trees, fence posts, barn, hay shelter- everything was covered in clay where the water had risen to. Now this fungus is rampant- all over my cedar posts and it’s literally destroying the wood. Same thing with the Spruces- whatever branches have this fungus on it (now spreading to entire trees), the needles will drop and the branch dies. Even the walls of the buildings are starting to deteriorate wherever the residual clay was left behind. What an utter mess.
I don’t know if it is something systemic that is now in the soil, or if pesticides did a number on them, or what is going on. So, if you have any insight… I’d appreciate it. BTW- I never used to spray my Apple trees, but last year I did- with Lime Sulphur -hoping it would take care of the fungus. Didn’t work. So I don’t know what else to try - on them OR my spruces. Thanks for any advice you can offer! Patti

 

[JimRB]

patti24 How to Get Rid of Stink Bugs | Updated for 2021

I had two blueberry bushes planted a foot apart. Some sort of fungus or mildew killed the one plant and tried to get the other. Blueberry yield significantly down this year.

I cut down one cedar too close to the apple tree. Other apple tree dead and cut down a month ago. Friend brought over two apple trees. I need to figure out where to plant.

Cedar-Apple Rust - Oklahoma State University

The symptoms, disease cycle, variety tolerance, similar diseases and control measures for cedar-apple rust explained.

extension.okstate.edu

Cedar-apple rust and related rust diseases

How to identify rust

extension.umn.edu

 

[patti24]

Thanks! I’ll save this for reference re:Fungicide Application Rates.
However, this isn’t what is attacking my Apple trees, and my Cedars are all fine. It’s just my Spruce (and some pine) that are dying.

 

[two_bit_score]

Probably beetles. Update us when you find out for sure.

 

[scaredychicken]

I was thinking The Mountain Pine Beetle problem that devastaed BC, but not sure if that is even a concern in Texas. All the best.

 

[Rockbadchild]

it reminds me of Porcupine eating patch .... they eat the inner bark of trees, like hemlock, spruce, white and pitch pine, basswood, sugar and striped maple, beech, birch, aspen, ash, cherry, apple and other species.

 

[Rockbadchild]

I was thinking The Mountain Pine Beetle problem that devastaed BC, but not sure if that is even a concern in Texas. All the best.

pine beetles bore holes inside the tree and not eating the bark... unless you are thinking the pine beetle killed the tree and the bark pealed because of it ?

 

[Torvy]

I need to get out there with the saw and get more evidence. Last day of school today, so I should have some time in the next couple of weeks. I'll have to buy a new saw...waiting on a part for the last 3 months...

Good news is we finally have someone coming out to clear land for the shop and house...in about another month...if I can get the shop built we can get the tractor and do more of the work ourselves.