What happened to my pine tree? 

• One day your pine tree looks green and healthy, the next day it's brown.  It's actually a series of events that led up to its demise.  In the end, it's pine beetles that killed the tree.  In Sarasota we are talking about Ips beetles and slash pines.   It's important to note that only a stressed pine can be penetrated by the tunneling insects and they can smell it like ribs on a barbeque.

So, why all the stressed pine trees?

• It's usually a combination of factors.  Recently the combination is hurricane Milton and lack of rain.  Hurricane winds can cause internal cracks, hidden within the tree.  In response, the tree uses energy reserves to heal the damage, but it takes time.  Then, when we sustain a drought that could be six months or a year after the hurricane, the tree does not have the energy to defend itself from the patiently waiting beetles.  

How can we prevent beetle attack?

• Once the beetles are in, it's too late.  You know they're there when you inspect the trunk and see small, reddish frass mounds coming out of little holes in the bark.  There are preventative insecticides available to help stop infestation.  But remember, the beetles can only damage stressed trees so we want to limit pesticide application to stressful events.  Construction, hurricanes, and drought top the list in Sarasota.  A common misconception is that you should quickly remove the tree to prevent the beetles from spreading to neighboring pines.  Ips beetles are already all over the place.  If the pine tree is sufficiently stressed, it will be attacked.