This document summarizes research on the biology and management of pine tip moths, a forest pest that damages young pine trees. Key points include: - Pine tip moths go through several generations per year, with larvae feeding inside new pine shoots. - Chemical treatments can help control infestations but require frequent applications. Systemic insecticides applied at planting provide longer-term protection. - Studies found the insecticide Fipronil significantly reduced tip moth damage when applied to seedlings or soil at planting sites over multiple years. - An alternative insecticide, Imidacloprid, also protected seedlings and improved growth if tablets were placed in planting holes. - Factors

1. Biology and Control of Pine Tip Moth Don Grosman, Ph.D. Forest Pest Management Cooperative & Texas Forest Service, Forest Health Little Rock, AR October 5, 2011

4. Tip Moth Life Stage Monitoring: “ Egg Stage” First instar larva mine pine needles. After molting, second instar larva migrates to a shoot bud.

5. Tip Moth Life Stage Monitoring: “ Tent Stage” Note the transparent webbing among the expanding needles near the ends of the shoots (arrows).

6. Tip Moth Life Stage Monitoring: “ Bored-in-larva Stage” Note the dead needles and opaque silk and pitch covering of the entrance hole (above), and the larva with a brown head inside the shoot (arrow - right)

7. Bored-in-larva Stage Mature larva Pupa Stage Pupa

8. Tip Moth Life Stage Monitoring:“Emerged Stage” Green arrows point to empty pupal cases indicating that the adults have already emerged from these shoots.

9. Tip Moth Life Stage Monitoring: “Emerged Stage” The pen points to the larval gallery inside the shoot which is empty indicating the tip moth has already emerged or has been parasitized.

10. Which shoots? – Green arrows indicate shoots in the top whorl. The shoot in the middle is the terminal. If the tree top is “bushy” without an obvious terminal shoot due to prior tip moth damage, select the center-most shoot as the terminal. Tip Moth Damage Assessments

11. Close-up of a tip moth damaged shoot showing the opaque, white “pitch blister” covering the entrance hole of a tip moth larva which has hollowed out the inside of the shoot (above). Shoots in the “top whorl” (above hands below) with two lateral shoots damaged by tip moths (green arrows).

12. Typical tip moth infested shoots - Green arrows indicate three tip moth damaged shoots. Although several tip moths likely attacked the middle shoot, it is still counted as one damaged shoot.

13. Typical tip moth infested shoots - Terminal and two lateral shoots. Very heavy tip moth infestation - Multiple attacks on each shoot and down the main stem. Note dead shoots and white pitch blisters covering entrances.

14. Tip Moth Outbreak in the Western Gulf Region Extensive tip moth damage to Multiple tip moth attacks on Shoot mortality (12”) on 3 4 year-old loblolly pine in AR. loblolly pine shoot in LA. year-old loblolly pine in TX.

15. d Loblolly pine in 2 nd growing season after planting, deformed as a result of severe and repeated tip moth infestations.

16. Impact Sites (105)

17. Tip moth damage levels in the Western Gulf Region, 2001 - 2010.

18. Differences in 3 rd -year volume index (cm 3 ) of protected and unprotected loblolly pine exposed to different tip moth pressures.

19. Tip Moth Control

20. Mean Number of Pine Tip Moth Adults Caught per Trap per Day in the Lufkin, TX, Area (1999 – 2003)

21. Tip Moth Control Standard Method : Foliar chemical spray applications once per month; potential of 8-9 applications per year. Many Products Available : At least 18 active ingredients & 53 formulations; Pounce ® (permethrin) and Mimic ® (tebufenozide) are effective. Challenge : Fettig et al. 2000 & 2003 presents optimal spray periods for numerous sites in 10 SE and 3 WG states, reducing number of sprays to 3-5 per year. Still not economical for forest plantations.

22. Tip Moth Control Optimal Spray Periods for Sites in MS, AL, GA, FL, SC, NC and VA http://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/rp/rp_srs018.pdf Optimal Spray Periods for Sites in TX, LA and AR http://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/rp/rp_srs032.pdf

23. Tip Moth Control Perhaps systemic insecticides could provide long-term protection 2002 Evaluated tip moth damage on seedlings treated (root soak) with: emamectin benzoate, fipronil, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam

24. Tip Moth Infestation per Generation after Treatment with Different Systemic Chemicals – Plot 1 & 2, 2002 & 2003

25. Effect of fipronil in-furrow and plant hole treatments on tip moth infestation – TR#1, 3 WG sites: 2004 - 2006 *, a or £ = M eans are significantly different from check.

26. PTM ™ Spot Gun via Red River Specialties Kioritz Soil Injector PTM ™ Injection Probe via Aqumix PTM ™ Applicators Production Discontinued

27. Machine Planters Fitted with Soil Injection Systems 2008 Lane Day System - TX 2011 Chris Dowden System - LA

30. Effects of fipronil soil treatment on infestation of containerized and bareroot loblolly pine by pine tip moth on 2 sites: 2007 - 2010

31. Effects of fipronil soil treatment on volume (cm 3 ) growth of containerized and bareroot loblolly pine on 2 sites: 2007 - 2010

32. Protected Unprotected

33. End of Year 1 End of Year 2 Mid-Year 4

34. Container 3ml Q clone Bareroot Soil Inj Q clone Bareroot Check Q clone Container Check Q clone Container 15ml Q clone

37. PTM™ for Containerized Seedlings - 2010 PTM (Hi UD) X X PTM (Hi D) X X PTM (Hi D) X X PTM (Med. UD) X X PTM (Med. D) X X PTM (Med. D) X X PTM (Med. D) X X PTM (Low UD) X X PTM (Low D) X X PTM (Low D) X X PTM (Low D) X X Check (Cont) X Check (BR) X __________________________________________________________________________________ Cont. Bareroot PI SI

38. Weyerhaeuser Rayonier ArborGen Weyerhaeuser Campbell Rayonier Hancock Cellfor USFS / FHP Plug Injection Trial – Site Distribution - 2011 NCFS

39. Effects of fipronil plug and soil injection treatment on infestation of containerized and bareroot loblolly pine by pine tip moth on 10 sites: Gen 1-3, 2011

41. Effect of SilvaShield™ tablets and placement on tip moth infestation – 5 sites: 2007 - 2009

42. Effect of SilvaShield™ tablets and placement on volume growth (cm 3 ) – 4 sites: 2010

44. PTM™/SilvaShield™ Comparison - 2010 PTM X X PTM X X PTM X X PTM X X X X PTM X X PTM X X PTM X X X PTM X X SilvaShield X X SilvaShield X X SilvaShield X X SilvaShield X X X X SilvaShield X X SilvaShield X X X X SilvaShield X X X Check ____________________________________________________ Dec.‘09 Sep.’10 Feb.‘11 AP PP

45. Effect of PTM™ and SilvaShield™ and timing on tip moth infestation: 2010

46. Mean height (cm) of one-year old PTM ™ - and SilvaSheild™-treated and untreated loblolly pine: 2010.

47. Tip Moth Hazard Rating Study Objective : Identify abiotic factors that influence the occurrence and severity of tip moth damage. Methods : 84 sites with one to two 50 tree plots established between 2001 and 2009. Site characteristics collected at each site. Tip moth damage evaluated after each generation for two years.

48. Hazard Rating Sites (142)

50. Relationship between rainfall and tip moth damage levels in the Western Gulf Region, 2001 - 2010.

51. Thank you for your attention! 30