Northern Pine Weevil – Pissodes approximatus

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Northern Pine Weevil (Pissodes approximatus)

Latin Name: Pissodes approximatus

Common Name: Northern Pine Weevil

Appearance:

The northern pine weevil regularly reproduces on stumps of felled trees, and as populations grow, it becomes a problem in plantations.

  • Adults eat branches and terminals, which can kill them and cause bushiness or twisted stems. Because there is relatively little breeding material remaining around, this bug rarely harms landscapes.
  • Tiny holes in the bark of small twigs and branches are chewed by the mature male squirrel, leaving it vulnerable to damage.
  • In bitten regions, bark may break away, and shoots and twigs may die, leaving reddish dead tips that are ugly.
  • Chewing commonly occurs around the ends of branches on big trees, leading them to lose some of their bark.

Host plants:

Pine and spruce, as well as a variety of other conifers, provide food for the insects.

Territory:

Native to North America

Damage caused by northern Pine Weevil:

The larvae of the Northern pine weevil, which feed by tunnelling beneath the bark, are the primary source of damage. Both new plantation trees and more giant trees, incredibly frail, stressed, or dying, are attacked by the insect on their branches, trunks, and collars. Freshly cut tree trunks and stumps are also struck by the bug. The following network of tunnels inhibits sap flow, and if the trunk and collar are sufficiently damaged, fast dieback develops, and the tree dies within the same season.

Description about Beneficial garden insects:

  • Most insects are not pests. Only those who eat attractive plants or spread illness are a nuisance to gardeners. Predators, pollinators, and parasitoids are the three sorts of valuable insects.
  • Lady beetles, praying mantids, green and brown lacewings, ground beetles, damsel bugs, syrphid fly larvae, and snakeflies are predatory insects.
  • Spiders, predaceous spider mites, and centipedes are vital in garden ecology.
  • Several bee and fly species are pollinators of insects. Honeybees, bumblebees, orchard mason bees, and syrphid flies are the essential pollinators in home gardens, but many other pollinators also play a role.

Tiny, stingless wasps or flies that deposit their eggs in or on certain host insects are parasitism. Although these insects are difficult to observe, research has shown that they significantly influence pest bug populations.

Life history and Habits:

The presence of the Northern pine weevil is indicated by the swelling of the bark, which rises readily in affected areas. The adult spends the winter in the litter surrounding afflicted trees or in the cracks in the bark of trees. Adult weevils emerge in early May and feed on branches or trunks for several weeks, puncturing the fragile bark of young trees with their snout. In the feeding holes, the female places her eggs. Generations overlap over the two-year cycle. As larvae, pupae, or adults, the insect survives the winter. Insects that overwinter as larvae or pupae emerge as adults in June or July.