Pest Profile
Photo credit: USDA Forest Service - Ogden, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License
Common Name: European Pine Shoot Moth
Scientific Name: Rhyacionia buoliana (Denis & Schiffermuller)
Order and Family: Lepidoptera, Torticidae
Size and Appearance: Length (mm) Appearance Egg Small, oval, flat Deposited singly or in small groups Laid on needles and buds of new growth Cream-colored when first laid but then turn orange-brown and resemble buds. Grayish in color when hatched
Larva/Nymph Light yellowish brown to brown in color 12-18 mm Black legs and head
Adult Rusty orange-red color 10 mm Irregular, wavy, silver stipes on orange-red Wingspan: 18-22 mm forewings Hind wings are dark gray Pupa (if applicable) 10 mm Reddish brown in color
Type of feeder (Chewing, sucking, etc.): Larvae have chewing mouthparts while adults have siphoning mouthparts.
Host plant/s: Small and/or young Scotch, Mugo, Red, Eastern White, and Austrian pines.
Description of Damage (larvae and adults): The larval stage is the only stage that causes damage. Newly hatched larvae spin tent-like webs, coated with resin and debris on new growth. Tents become larger as larvae mature. Young larvae bore mines into the needles, causing needles to turn yellow or brown. As the larvae grow they move to feeding on plant buds, which results in dead shoots.
Good indications of a moth infestation includes crooked tree trunks and branches known as “post horns” and solidified yellowish-white “tents” in late summer.
References:
IPM of Midwest Landscapes. (n.d.). European Pine Shoot Moth. Retrieved March 16, 2016, from http://cues.cfans.umn.edu/old/Web/130EuropeanPineShootMoth.pdf
Lehman, R. D. (n.d.). European Pine Shoot Moth - Rhyacionia buollana (Department of Entomology). Retrieved April 04, 2017, from http://ento.psu.edu/extension/christmas- trees/information/pest-fact-sheets/eur-pine-shoot-moth
Miller, W. E., Hastings, A. R., & Carolin, V. M. (1970). European Pine Shoot Moth. Retrieved March 16, 2016, from http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fsbdev2_025752.pdf
Penn State. (2016). European Pine Shoot Moth (Department of Entomology). Retrieved March 16, 2016, from http://ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/european-pine-shoot-moth