Pine Tip Moths

Pest Description

• adults: wingspan ~ 3/4 – 1 inch; wings held tent-like over back; color variable
• larvae: 1/2 – 3/4 inch; dark brown to orange red with dark brown head capsule and thoracic plate
• pupae: ~ 5/16 – 1/2 inch; yellowish brown to dark brown, depending on age
• eggs: nearly flat, green turning to orange red and laid on needles, needle bases or bud scales

Host Plants, Diet & Damage

• pine, spruce, Douglas-fir and arborvitae
• damage is primarily aesthetic
• feed on buds, twigs, terminal shoots; some feed on cones
• bore into and kill twigs and terminals causing wilting, dead tips and deformation; flagging/crooking
• resin, frass and webbing may be present at damage sites
• damage typically most severe in nursery setting

Biology, Life Cycle & Damaging Life Stage

• overwinter as larvae or pupae on branches, trunks, within galleries or soil, or debris next to host
• emergence or activity begins in early spring prior to or around budbreak;
• some species emerge later
• depending on species, some larvae will leave host tissue in mid- to late
• summer to find overwintering sites
• one generation per year
• larvae are the damaging stage

IPM Recommendations

• Manage trees to improve or maintain overall health.
• Minor damage does not require management.
• To prevent damage in areas where these moths are present, apply an insecticide (pyrethroid) to foliage.
• Identify tip moth species to determine treatment timing. For most species, treatment is just prior to or just after budbreak.