July 2024 First Friday with Florida First Detector

Recap of July 2024 First Friday with Florida First Detector

In July, we talked about invasive pests of pine. Florida has about 17 million acres of forestland with a significant portion covered in pine. The state also has a significant pine industry. Florida produces around 750 million board feet of pine annual used both within Florida and export to other states. Invasive pests threaten not only the state’s economy but also our diversity natural ecosystems.

While we have native pine pests, this webinar covered some invasive pine pests that do not occur in the United States. We focused on species that are currently listed on the Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey Priority Pest List for pines.

Some of the wood-feeding species discussed include: Large Pine Weevil (Hylobius abietis), Black Spruce Beetle (Tetropium castaneum), Brown Spruce Longhorned Beetle (Tetropium fuscum), and Sixtoothed Bark Beetle (Ips sexdentatus).

We also talked about several invasive defoliators including Masson Pine Moth (Dendrolimus punctatus), Pine-tree Lappet (Dendrolimus pini), Siberian Silk Moth (Dendrolimus sibiricus), Pine Processionary Moth (Thaumetopoea pityocampa), Pine Beauty Moth (Panolis flammea), and Pine Sawfly (Diprion pini).

This webinar also featured a priority rust fungus called Scots Pine Blister Rust (Cronartium flaccidum) that has not been found in the US. We compared this to another rust, native to Europe and Asia, that was introduced to the US in the early 1900’s, White Pine Blister Rust (Cronartium ribicola).

Many of these invasive pests can be tough to identify. When in doubt, submitting samples is the best step! Proper identification of the problem can rule out newly introduced pests and help with selection of management strategies. Or you might be the first to find a new invasive species in our area — the sooner we catch it, the better!

Resources on Pine Pests

CAPS National Priority Pest List (click pest for info on each species and more resources)
UF Ask IFAS EDIS on Key Pests of Pine
UF ASK IFAS EDIS Topics on Pines
FDACS Managing Your Forest to Prevent Southern Pine Beetle

Want to watch the recording?

What is the upcoming schedule?

We are meeting online via Zoom from 12:00PM-1:00PM on the First Friday of every month from Sept 2022-Aug 2024. Please visit this blog for registration information and the upcoming schedule for Sept 2023-2024. The links to our next cycle of webinars (September 2024 – August 2025) should be available soon, so be on the lookout for this in the near future!

Questions?

Contact Dr. Morgan Pinkerton, morgan0402@ufl.edu

Visit the Florida First Detector Website