Spring feeding on tender shoots causes mortality of terminals resulting in forked trunks.
When plantations are established to produce sawlogs, forked or deformed trunks are unacceptable losses. Identifying the Insect. Tiny larvae found burrowing in terminals are white to yellowish with the dark gut visible. Larvae vary from 1.5 to 5.0 mm in length. After vacating the shoots, they feed elsewhere on the trunk and branches and may reach 34 mm in length.