They then move to shoot tips and tunnel into a stem to feed. The first sign of damage is browning of a few needles at the branch tips. Branch tips turn brown and die. It is uncommon for trees to be killed by these pests, but height is affected and stems are deformed. Fertilization and irrigation reduce damage effectively.
Control requires carefully timed applications of a recommended insecticide.
Southern pine beetle is one kind of pine bark beetle. Pine bark beetles are covered in fact sheet and tape message 2010. Southern pine beetles bore into the bark and lay eggs. Their immature forms feed in the layer under the bark destroying structures that carry food and water. Symptoms include popcorn or larger sized balls of resin on the outer surface of the bark, reddish sawdust-like material on the bark and a general decline of the tree.