Eastern Pine Shoot Borer – Eucosoma gloriola

Eastern Pine Shoot Borer (Eucosoma gloriole)

Latin Name: Eucosoma gloriole

Common Name: Eastern Pine Shoot Borer:

Appearance:

  • The eastern pine shoot borer’s eggs are flattened and pale yellow in hue.
  • They usually have a diameter of roughly 0.3 mm. They range in shape from round to slightly elliptical.
  • The larvae are light grey to tan in colour, with yellow-brown heads and a black dot in the centre.
  • The larvae can grow up to 13 mm in length when fully grown.
  • The pupa is brown. Two grey stripes trace over a pair of red forewings on the adults, tiny moths.
  • The backwings are gray-brown. The moths’ wingspan is around 1.5 cm.

Host plants:

Eastern white pine, mugho pine, red pine jack pine, scots pine

Territory:

The Eastern Pine Shoot Borer is a species native to North America that may be found across the white pine area.

Damages caused by Eastern Pine Shoot Borer:

Eastern pine shoot borers damage annual shoots in the tree’s top section, causing them to redden and wilt. Trees do not die as a result of severe insect infestations. However, the trees’ look is affected by the loss of needles and the shrinkage of the terminal leader.

Description about Leaf chewers:

Plants that insects have chewed might suffer from various problems. When certain insects completely consume foliage or flowers, they may vanish. Occasionally, the plant will seem ragged, with chewed edges or cores visible upon closer scrutiny. Plants can be cut at the root, causing them to collapse over, or twigs can be girdled, causing them to die. The process of inflicting harm to a plant by chewing is known as mining or boring. Sometimes just the upper or bottom surfaces of a plant are damaged, resulting in a brown, charred appearance or skeletonization (openings between the veins).

Life history and Habits:

Eucosoma gloriole spends the winter in the soil as a pupa. Adults appear in eastern and southern locations from late April to mid-May and from late April to early June in northern areas. Within a pine branch, the insect goes through five larval instars. In early July, larvae emerge from shoots and fall to the ground in eastern and southern locations and later in northern parts.