Southern Pine Beetle
Southern pine beetle
Southern pine beetle (SPB) is a bark beetle that infests pine trees. The beetle is small, only 2-4 mm in length (about the size of a grain of rice) and is red-brown to black in color.
This insect is native to the southeastern United States but has been expanding its range up the east coast in recent years. Warming of extreme winter temperatures has most likely contributed to this expansion.
On this page:
- How SPB Damages Pine Trees
- Confirmed NY Locations
- Signs of an Infestation
- How You Can Help
- How to Report
- Ecosystems Most Affected by SPB
- Control Efforts in NY
- How Cutting Trees Helps Suppress Infestations
How SPB Damages Pine Trees
Galleries (tunnels) left by adult beetles
All hard pine trees are susceptible to an infestation of southern pine beetle, including pitch pine, red pine, and jack pine. In addition, SPB has been known to infest white pine, and other conifers when and infestation is very active and when the SPB population is extremely large. No hardwood tree species are affected.
The adult beetle enters the tree through crevices in the bark and then creates S-shaped tunnels in the cambium tissue, just beneath the bark. This disrupts the flow of nutrients, killing the tree in typically 2-4 months. Most trees resist the initial attacks by secreting resin that can "pitch out" some adults and slow the entry of others, but infected trees almost always die as their defenses are overwhelmed by thousands of attacking beetles.
SPB is one of the most destructive pest of southern pine forests. From 1999-2002, an outbreak of the beetle in the southeastern U.S. resulted in more than one billion dollars in loss for the timber industry, according to the U.S. Forest Service. SPB populations naturally rise and fall. The beetle can persist for years at very low numbers, sometimes going unnoticed. At other times, however, the population can explode, rapidly killing pine trees across the landscape, as is currently occurring on Long Island. This switch between high and low population numbers is influenced by the availability of dense pine stands, the number of natural enemies, the types of fungus present, tree defenses, and changes in climate.
Confirmed SPB Locations in New York State
Infested trees in New York were first found in October, 2014 in Suffolk County on Long Island. The beetles most likely colonized Long Island from the New Jersey Pinelands.
SPB is widespread throughout Suffolk County and throughout Long Island.
SPB has been found in traps at Bear Mountain State Park in Orange and Rockland Counties, Schunnemunk State Park in Orange County, Roosa Gap State Forest in Sullivan County, and Minnewaska State Park in Ulster County. SPB has also been found in traps at the Albany Pine Bush Preserve in Albany County. In 2021 a small number of SPB was caught in insect traps at the Saratoga Sand planes Wildlife Management Unit. Even though individual beetles have been caught at these locations, there are currently no signs of an infestation.
Three infested trees were found and removed in 2021 at Sunset Rock in Taconic State Park near the Massachusetts boarder. It is expected that more infested trees will be found in the Hudson Valley. Outside of Long Island SPB infested trees have only been found at Sunset Rock in Taconic State Park.
Signs Of An Infestation
In a SPB-infested pine, pitch
tubes are visible on the bark all
the way up the tree
Exit holes created by adult beetles
- Pitch tubes, or popcorn-shaped clumps of resin on the exterior of the bark all the way up the tree (not just the bottom 6 feet)
- Tiny, scattered holes on the exterior of the bark
- S-shaped tunnels under the bark
- Pine trees that have recently died, characterized by reddish-brown needles
What You Can Do To Help
If you have dead pine trees, consider risk and liability. Remove standing dead trees if they have the potential to fall on people, structures, roads, or utility lines. Dead trees no longer have living SPB in them so they can be left standing if they do not pose a threat.
If you have living infested trees, surrounding uninfested trees are at risk. To keep SPB from spreading, remove and dispose of infested pines. Infested trees should not be cut and moved to new areas during the summer (when SPB are active) unless they will immediately be destroyed.
If you have uninfested trees, you may choose to protect them with preventive insecticides. Recommendations can be obtained by contacting Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County. Information for Homeowners (PDF) (article from Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County). You may also consider contacting a certified arborist for a consultation.
How to Report SPB
If you have found dead pine trees with infestation signs in New York State:
- Take photos of the infestation signs (include something for scale such as a coin). Photos are necessary to help us identify a SPB infestation.
- Note the location (intersecting roads, landmarks, or GPS coordinates).
- Submit a report using the free iMapInvasives app or their online system (leaves DEC website).
- If you do not have an iMap account, you may email photos to DEC at foresthealth@dec.ny.gov.
- You may choose to report by calling DEC's Forest Health Information Line at 1-866-640-0652 instead.
Ecosystems Most Affected by SPB
In New York, pitch pines have been attacked by SPB more than any other tree species. The majority of the pitch pines killed by SPB have been in the Long Island Central Pine Barrens. A pine barrens is ecosystem which contains a variety of habitats that support many rare and unique species. It is a savannah-like landscape dominated by grasses and forbs with scattered clumps of trees and shrubs. It is a fire-dependent ecosystem and requires regular low-intensity forest fires to create and maintain a healthy pine barrens system.
Why SPB is More of a Problem on Long Island than in Southern Pine Forests
Pine Barren ecosystems are naturally adapted to and dependent on fire. Pine Barrens are characterized by scattered pitch pine trees, clumps of shrubs and trees, and open, grass-dominated meadows. In natural or properly managed conditions, fires increase the resiliency of pitch pines to SPB and other pests by naturally thinning tree stands which reduces the number and density of more competitive tree species such as oaks. Fires reduce competition between trees, making individual trees healthier. Smoke and thinning from fires also slow SPB infestations by disrupting the ability of beetles to communicate and organize infestations on trees using pheromones. In the southeastern United States, SPB is a natural part of pine stands and only becomes problematic when there is an absence of fire or other management to thin and maintain the pine stands, as is the case for the Long Island Central Pine Barrens.
Current Control Efforts in New York State
Eradication of this pest is not feasible because it has become widespread, moves quickly, and is present in neighboring states. As a result, forest health management conducted by the State is focused on protecting large forested blocks and unique habitats, such as the Core Preservation Area of the Long Island Central Pine Barrens Preserve. Management efforts include aerial and ground surveys, tree inventories, cutting infested trees, and thinning uninfested trees. So far, more than 13,000 trees have been cut in the Core Preservation Area in suppression efforts to slow the spread of SPB and protect surrounding trees.
Areas north of Long Island will continue to be monitored for early detection of SPB with traps, aerial surveys, and ground surveys. For more information, please refer to the SPB Management Plan (PDF), developed in partnership with experts from the U.S. Forest Service and academia.
Demonstration Forest at Rocky Point Pine Barrens State Forest
Southern pine beetle was found at Rocky Point Pine Barrens State Forest in Suffolk County in 2015. With support from the Environmental Protection Fund, DEC established a demonstration forest at this site to educate the public and conduct scientific research on fire as a management tool against SPB.
In spring of 2021, DEC and volunteers conducted the first prescribed burn at this site to improve the health of the forest.
DEC Management Reports
- 2020 Annual Report - NYS Southern Pine Beetle Response (PDF, 9.9 MB)
- 2019 Annual Report - NYS Southern Pine Beetle Response (PDF)
- Long Island Pine Barrens Restoration Update - 2019-2020 (PDF)
How Cutting Trees Helps Suppress Infestations
Infested pine tree cut as part of winter suppression efforts with loosened bark
The major focus of DEC's SPB management is to suppress infestations by cutting down infested trees using specific techniques. One such technique is making cuts along the trunk of the tree after it is on the ground causes the bark to loosen, exposing the developing beetle larva to weather conditions, desiccation, and increased predation (see image).
Trees are cut during the summer months, when SPB is expanding. Cutting infested trees disrupts the beetles' ability to communicate using pheromones which makes it more difficult for beetles to find each other and attack trees in large numbers. Cutting these trees also kills some of the brood within the tree as the beetle larvae are exposed to high temperatures from increased sun exposure, and predators.
Thinning pine stands to a basal area less then 80ft/acre is the most effective tool for SPB prevention. Thinned pitch pine forests have greater distance between trees which disrupts SPB pheromone communication and prevents SPB infestations from establishing. Thinning combined with the controlled burning maintain a healthy pine barren system that is more resilient to climate change and future insect attach than an unmanaged forest.
No Funding Available for Tree Removal on Private Property
There are currently no state or federal funds available to provide financial assistance to private homeowners for the removal of individual trees attacked or killed by SPB. Private forest landowners may contact the Forest Stewardship Program which offers technical assistance to landowners. Woodland owners who have a forest stewardship plan may seek technical and financial assistance through the Environmental Quality Incentive Program.
Communities with municipal trees affected by SPB may apply for Urban and Community Forestry Grants when they are available.
Additional SPB Documents
- DEC Management Plan (PDF) Revised 3/21/17
- Preventative Thinning as a Tool to Slow Southern Pine Beetle Fact Sheet (PDF)
- Systemic Insecticides for the Treatment of Southern Pine Beetle (PDF)
