The red turpentine beetle is a species belonging to the family of bark beetles. It is concol3red to be a significant pest to pine trees. American entomologist John Lawrence LaConte first named it in 1860.
Size: 6 to 10 mm
Color: The beetle first appears tan upon emerging from the cocoon, later turning dark reddish-brown.
Other Characteristic Features: Their length exceeds double their width.
The larvae have a grub-like appearance, white with a brown head, alongcol3 a brown spot near the tip of their abdomen. In its later instar stages, several pale brown tubercles arranged laterally in rows become visible. They do not have legs, and a full-grown larva is between 12 mm and 14 mm long.
The pupa is white, and its whole body remains encased in the cocoon except the antennae and legs.
The white, opaque, shiny eggs are cylindrical, rounded at the end, measuring 1 mm.
| Lifespan | 1 year |
| Distribution | Native: North America, Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras Invasive: China |
| Habitat | Temperate climes |
| Seasons active | Year-round |
| Diet of adults | The bark of pine trees |
On living trees the damage caused by these beetles can be identified from the holes they make. Whereas on stumps and dead trees, their infestation can be from the frass produced by found on the resins.
Since these beetles attack pines damaged by disease, fire or any other factor, removing such trees, or treating them at the earliest could help combat infestation.
Image Source: bugguide.net, a4.pbase.com, bugwoodcloud.org, static.inaturalist.org, a4.pbase.com
The red turpentine beetle is a species belonging to the family of bark beetles. It is concol3red to be a significant pest to pine trees. American entomologist John Lawrence LaConte first named it in 1860.
Size: 6 to 10 mm
Color: The beetle first appears tan upon emerging from the cocoon, later turning dark reddish-brown.
Other Characteristic Features: Their length exceeds double their width.
The larvae have a grub-like appearance, white with a brown head, alongcol3 a brown spot near the tip of their abdomen. In its later instar stages, several pale brown tubercles arranged laterally in rows become visible. They do not have legs, and a full-grown larva is between 12 mm and 14 mm long.
The pupa is white, and its whole body remains encased in the cocoon except the antennae and legs.
The white, opaque, shiny eggs are cylindrical, rounded at the end, measuring 1 mm.
| Lifespan | 1 year |
| Distribution | Native: North America, Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras Invasive: China |
| Habitat | Temperate climes |
| Seasons active | Year-round |
| Diet of adults | The bark of pine trees |
On living trees the damage caused by these beetles can be identified from the holes they make. Whereas on stumps and dead trees, their infestation can be from the frass produced by found on the resins.
Since these beetles attack pines damaged by disease, fire or any other factor, removing such trees, or treating them at the earliest could help combat infestation.
Image Source: bugguide.net, a4.pbase.com, bugwoodcloud.org, static.inaturalist.org, a4.pbase.com
