Destructive Southern Pine Beetle Marches Northward into New York

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is warning property owners to be on the lookout for another bug that has an appetite for their trees.

On the heels of reports over the past several years of the destructive Emerald Ash Borer making inroads through portions of the Pennsylvania and New York, the DEC now says the Southern Pine Beetle (Dendroctonus frontailis) has been found in a trap in the Albany Pine Bush Preserve.

The invasive pests have killed thousands of pine trees on Long Island since 2014.

The tiny insects are about 2-4 mm long, about the size of a grain of rice but can kill pines in 2-4 months after infestation.

The red-brown to black beetles enter through crevasses in the tree's bark and carve S-shaped tunnels just under the bark weakening the trees' defenses.

Officials would like residents to report recently dying pitch pines and red pines but all pines are said to be susceptible.

More information can be found on the DEC website at www.dec.ny.gov/animals.