| European pine shoot moth |
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Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Tortricidae
Scientific name: Rhyacionia buoliana (D. & S.)
Common name: European pine shoot moth (EPSM)
Identification
Adults: Fore wings are rusty orange-red marked with wavy, silver stripes; hind wings are dark gray, the legs are banded with white.
Larvae: 12-15 mm long, yellowish brown with black head capsules.
Damage: The larvae feed within buds and shoots, causing distorted or bushy growth.
Impacts: Within Oregon, European pine shoot moth (EPSM) is considered a minor pest in landscapes and infestations are uncommon in the nursery and Christmas tree industries. Damage can make trees unmarketable. Four states, including California, Hawaii, Montana, and Nevada, currently have quarantines effecting Oregon grown pine nursery stock or cut pine Christmas trees. These states either require pesticide treatments or negative trapping within the growing grounds of each nursery or Christmas tree plantation before trees are shipped.
Host plants: Most two-and three-needle pines with a preference for lodgepole, red, mugo, and Scots pine.
Distribution: The European pine shoot moth was first found in the United States in 1914 on Scotch pine in Long Island, New York. The moth became widespread in North America by the early 1950s, helped in part by the movement of infested nursery stock.
Biology and Life Cycle: European pine shoot moth has one generation per year and overwinter in the larval stage inside host plant buds. The larvae mature by the end of May and pupation occurs within the tunneled shoot. Adults emerge about 2 or 3 weeks after pupation. Mated females start to lay eggs in early to mid-June. Eggs hatch in 7 to 10 days. Larvae begin by boring through the sheaths and mining the base of the needles. Around mid summer, larvae move to buds and continue to feed through August.
Photo credits:
EPSM adult: USDA Forest Service – Ogden Archives, www.forestryimages.org
EPSM larva: Fabio Stergule, www.forestryimages.org
EPSM shoot damage: Petr Kapitola, www.forestryimages.org
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