Wanted: preferably dead

URI entomologists on the lookout for new insect invader

Southern pine beetle eats, kills pitch pine trees
Todd McLeish


KINGSTON, R.I. – A team of University of Rhode Island entomologists has set traps at conservation lands throughout western Rhode Island to see if a new tree-killing pest has arrived in the state.

The southern pine beetle, which is native to the southern United States, spread north to New Jersey in 2001, and was discovered in pine forests on Long Island in 2014. This year it has been found in central Connecticut. It is unclear whether the tiny beetle has arrived in Rhode Island yet, but if not, scientists say it is probably on its way.

According to URI entomologist Lisa Tewksbury, the blackish beetles are just 2 to 4 millimeters in size, and they feed under the bark of pine trees. In their southern range, they infest loblolly and short-leafed pines, but in Connecticut and Long Island they are infesting pitch and red pines.




“Because the beetles are so tiny, they are extremely difficult to see,” said Tewksbury, who is collaborating on the project with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management. “But infected trees respond to the beetles by trying to push out the eggs and larvae with resin. It looks like popcorn-like balls of dried resin mixed with sawdust coming out of the trunk.”

The larvae of the beetles eat the tree tissue and spread a blue stain fungus, which prevents water uptake in infected trees. Pine beetle infestations can kill a tree in two or three years.

To determine whether the beetles have arrived in Rhode Island yet, Tewksbury and a team of students have set 10 traps in conservation land in eight communities in western Rhode Island, from Glocester to Charlestown. The traps are a series of 12 black funnels nestled inside each other to look somewhat like a tree trunk and baited with pheromones and pine scent to attract the beetles. Each week, the students collect whatever has been trapped.

No southern pine beetles have been discovered so far. The adult beetles are only active for about six weeks in May and June, so the traps will be removed sometime in June. If no beetles are caught, Tewksbury said they will probably try again next year.

“If we do catch any, we’ll probably do more extensive trapping and search the area for tree damage,” Tewksbury said. “And then we’ll have to think about developing a management plan to prevent outbreaks.”

Those who observe the popcorn-like balls of resin and sawdust emerging from pitch pine trees should email a photo to Tewksbury at lisat@uri.edu or call her at 401-874-2750.