Black Turpentine Beetle(Dendroctonus tenebrans)Latin Name: Dendroctonus tenebrans
Common Name: Black Turpentine Beetle
Appearance:
Adults are cylindrical, dark reddish-brown to black, and 5 to 8 mm long. This is the biggest species of bark beetle in the southeastern United States. The antennae are clubbed, and the skull is convex in front. The front of the pronotum (the hard shell on top of the insect’s midsection) is significantly thinner than the back.
Dendroctonus frontalis Zimmermann, the southern pine beetle, is Florida’s only other Dendroctonus species. It has a similar form to the black turpentine beetle but is considerably tiny, measuring just 2 to 3 mm in length.
Mature larvae are around 12 mm long, are creamy white, legless, and have reddish-brown heads. Pupae are waxy-white and about the size of an adult.
Host plants:
Slash (Pinus elliottii Engelm.) and loblolly (P. taeda L.) pines are common hosts in the southeastern U.S.A.
Territory:Black Turpentine Beetle is native to the eastern United States
Damage caused by Black Turpentine Beetle:
Pitch tubes 1 inch in diameter discovered on the bottom 6 feet of the tree trunk are the first indications of a black turpentine beetle attack. Fresh pitch tubes are made from resin (tree sap), drilling dust, and frass (insect excrement). As the pitch tubes grow, they change from white to reddish to grayish red.
Life history and Habits:
The life cycle of the Black Turpentine Beetle lasts 10 to 16 weeks, depending on temperature. Males assist in the excavation of egg galleries after females begin gallery development. Egg galleries often continue downward and parallel to the grain of the wood from the entrance place. Females lay eggs in clusters along one side of the gallery. After the eggs hatch, the larvae eat in vast numbers side by side during their growth, resulting in a “feeding patch.” Larvae are around 0.5 in. (12 mm) in length when fully mature. Every year, three or more generations occur.
