Southern pine beetle: what the agencies record

This page describes what the named sources say. It is not a diagnosis of any tree and does not say what should be done with one. The southern pine beetle (Dendroctonus frontalis) is a native North American bark beetle, and none of the three pages read lists it as regulated or notifiable. Each section names its source, all read on October 8, 2026. The parent page, insect pests of trees, compares it with the other pests on the list.

Names

The Texas A&M Forest Service calls it the southern pine beetle and gives the scientific name Dendroctonus frontalis. The University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, called UF/IFAS, uses SPB as the short form and files it in its Featured Creatures series as EENY-176. The Maryland Department of Agriculture, called MDA, also writes SPB.

What the sources say to look for

Texas A&M says southern pine beetles attack in the crevices between the bark plates and leave pitch tubes, which are small flows of resin, that are creamy white and that some foresters compare to miniature popcorn. It says pine engraver beetles attack the flat bark plates and leave reddish-brown pitch tubes. It adds that in drought a tree may form no pitch tubes at all, leaving only dust and bore holes. UF/IFAS gives a different picture on colour: it lists as a myth the claim that southern pine beetle pitch tubes are white and those of secondary beetles are red, and says the colour of resin depends on other factors. Its page says the bark must be peeled back and the tunnel pattern looked at before a tree can be diagnosed. All three sources describe winding, S-shaped galleries under the bark. UF/IFAS adds that the larval tunnels are very short, under two centimetres, and end in a chamber, because the larvae feed on a fungus the female carries rather than on the tree. MDA says the first sign it lists is discoloration of the crown, with needles turning yellow in 2 to 3 weeks and then reddish brown after a month. Texas A&M says that in late-summer heat and drought in East Texas foliage can go from green to red in around three weeks.

UF/IFAS describes the adult as 2 to 4 millimetres long, short-legged, cylindrical and brown to black, with a rounded rear end, unlike Ips beetles, whose rear end is hollowed out and surrounded with teeth. MDA gives the same size and compares it to less than a grain of rice.

Southern pine beetle compared with Ips engravers, as Texas A&M puts it

Texas A&M names three engraver beetles, the eastern six-spined, the eastern five-spined and the small southern pine engraver, and says they usually breed in logging debris and weakened trees, that attacks are scattered with only a few trees involved, and that they are rarely the only cause of a tree's death. It describes their egg galleries as vertical and shaped like a Y, H or I. It says the southern pine beetle behaves much like the engravers at low numbers, but that as an infestation builds it can spread to nearby healthy pines and affect hundreds or thousands of acres. UF/IFAS makes the same point from the Florida side: most beetles found in dead pines in the Southeast are secondary species that do not attack nearby healthy trees, and only southern pine beetle infestations carry the risk of an epidemic. UF/IFAS stresses that correct identification of the insect is critical.

Hosts

UF/IFAS says the beetle can infest and kill any pine species within its range, with outbreaks most often seen in loblolly pine, and names shortleaf, pond and Virginia pine as the other common southeastern hosts. It says slash and longleaf pine are considered more resistant but can be colonized in outbreaks, and that in the northeastern United States it mainly attacks pitch, shortleaf and Virginia pine and has also been seen on Norway spruce, red pine, Scots pine and white pine. MDA says it can attack all pine species in Maryland, most commonly loblolly and occasionally Virginia pine. Texas A&M's page does not name hosts for the southern pine beetle itself, and names southern yellow pines for the engravers. For a tree profile see loblolly pine.

Life cycle as the sources state it

UF/IFAS says the female chooses the tree, bores in and releases an aggregation pheromone that draws other beetles, producing a mass attack that overcomes the tree's resin defence. Egg to adult takes 26 to 54 days, with as many as seven generations a year in Florida. Pupal stage lasts 15 to 40 days. Adults can fly up to 2 miles, or 3 kilometres, when no tree is close. MDA says there may be three or more generations a year in Maryland. UF/IFAS says infestation spots can grow by up to 15 metres, or 50 feet, a day in an epidemic.

Where it is reported

UF/IFAS lists the historic range as Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia, with scattered occurrence from Arizona and New Mexico south into Central America. It says that since 2014 the beetle has expanded into Connecticut, New York and Rhode Island because of warmer winters, and later in the page names New Jersey and Maine as well. MDA says Maryland is at the northern edge of its range, with the beetle commonly found on the lower Eastern Shore and in Southern Maryland. Texas A&M calls it the most damaging native insect pest in the southern forests of the United States and says there have been no reported cases in Texas since 1998, with the agency monitoring for a return.

What the sources say about stress and outbreaks

UF/IFAS says outbreaks happen almost entirely in and around overstocked, even-aged pine stands, that the beetle is rare outside outbreaks and that drought-stressed or shaded pines are rarely colonized. It says activity has fallen across much of the South since the start of the 21st century. MDA says outbreaks follow mild winters or hot, dry springs and that dense stands of sawtimber-sized trees are at high risk. Texas A&M says drought raises pine beetle activity in general.

Regulated status and reporting

None of the three pages names a regulation or quarantine for this beetle. MDA says landowners may contact their county forester or the department if they suspect a problem, and that it surveys counties with a history of the beetle. For the agencies that take reports of regulated pests, see the guide on reporting a pest in the United States.

Moving wood

None of the three pages gives a rule on moving infested pine. Wider rules on firewood are on the moving wood and firewood page.

Management as the sources list it

UF/IFAS lists thinning, by machine or fire, and rapid detection and removal of infestations as the practices that produce resistant stands. It says that once the beetle has colonized a tree, insecticides cannot save it, and that the insecticides it lists can only be used to prevent attack, that a persistent application can suppress natural enemies more than the pest, and that predators and parasites cause high mortality inside attacked trees. MDA lists a salvage cut of infested trees plus a buffer of green trees as the most commonly recommended method, then cut-and-leave, chemical control and pile-and-burn when a salvage cut is not practical, and keeping stands healthy through good forestry as the best long-term strategy. Texas A&M says good management practices are also good prevention and that direct control is rarely needed for engraver beetles in a forest. This page gives no product names, rates or timings. For who may apply pesticides, see pesticide licences.