Caterpillar’s devouring my pine trees - Ask Extension
We have lived at our current location for over 40 years, and thru the years have planted thousands of pine trees on our 10 acres. Varieties include: w...
Knowledgebase
Caterpillar’s devouring my pine trees #870652
Asked May 29, 2024, 7:42 PM EDT
We have lived at our current location for over 40 years, and thru the years have planted thousands of pine trees on our 10 acres. Varieties include: white pine, scotch pine, black pines, varied spruces and concolor fir trees. The vast majority of our pine trees are infested with caterpillars - which are devouring the needles. Question: will the worms die out before killing our trees? Will the trees recover? We are just sick about losing our pines.
Calhoun County Michigan
Expert Response
Do you have any photos of these pests or the trees that you could provide for us? These will help our specialists determine how to best manage the issue.
Hello, photos of the pest would be useful for identification purposes. With that being said, it is uncommon for an insect pest to kill fully mature pine trees. More than likely, the trees will be able to recover from the feeding damage.