simplypete
Treehouser
Just wondering if anyone has had any luck with physically removing this pest. I was told to not use any pesticides and that I could remove the larvae with relative ease. Any suggestions?
Pete
Pete
Copy that. That's what I've been told around here by some local bug geeks. I have a job to pick all the bugs out of a landscape tree. Sounds like a good time, pitch and all. So do you think they will stay gone or be a reoccurring thing? Of course I will advise to water the tree a little better, I think that was the reason the tree was inviting them in to begin with.they are on variable cycles so its hard to get rid of them, dig the pitch mass out and throw it away. pesticides really dont work cause the larvae isnt in the tree, its in the mass as youve showed. nice pics by the way. they are mainly an aesthetic problem
I would think that they ingest at least some of the pitch. I think the color of the pitch is then also the color of the excrement, which is somewhere between pitch and poop. Maybe a little of both. The moth larvae also puts future larvae into the pitch mound in the form of eggs. Feel free to school me if that is wrong.but the pitch is a different color, texture and flows different than just a hole in the tree. any idea why?
As for the flow, I believe that they continue to drill around and produce more pitch to flow. Creating more food, poop, and a better place to incubate their eggs for future generations.but the pitch is a different color, texture and flows different than just a hole in the tree. any idea why?
ok so my question is do the larvae lay the eggs or the adult moth? My reasoning would tell me the adult moth would be the culprit. Sticky pheremon traps may be helpfull for future egg-layers.ok, it didnt say any thing about the pitch butthe 2nd edition of insectes that feed on trees and shrubs (pg 72) says
eggs are laid singlyon the bark of the trunk or limbs of pines. after hatching, the larvae tunnel into the inner barkand cambium region, where they excavate a cavity and establish a feeding site. large accumulations of of pitch and frass form on the outside of the tree at the point of attack. the mature larvae is about 25mm longand has a reddish brown head and light yellow body. new attacks often occur at the sites of old ones.