- Author: Elaine Lander
If you're planning to get a holiday tree for your home, you may find unexpected guests have already made their home in your evergreen selection. Common holiday trees such as firs, pines, and spruces can host pests such as aphids, scales, mites, bark beetles, or even praying mantis egg cases. These pests may be present regardless of whether you select your tree from a local tree lot or go to cut your holiday tree at a nearby tree farm or forest. But...
This time of year, deciduous trees go dormant, and evergreen trees such as pine are more visible in the landscape. Pine trees, like other plants, can suffer from attack by pests, whether on your property or in our forested areas in California.
Pine trees do best when planted in well-drained soil in full sun, and most species need little water once established. Trees can ward off attacks by many insects and diseases if taken care of properly.
Several diseases can affect pine trees, such as rusts, blight, and root rot. Disease symptoms vary, but may include discoloration of leaves or needles, cankers, galls, and ooze.
Pine trees are susceptible to damage by over 20 different kinds of insects, including aphids,...
- Author: Steven Swain
![Figure 1. Tree roots often grow near the surface when soil is compacted, or when the only water available comes from shallow irrigation. [S.V.Swain]](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/UCIPMurbanpests/blogfiles/31708small.jpg)
[From the August 2015 issue of the UC IPM Green Bulletin]
Although pine trees are comparatively drought tolerant, there comes a point where even hardy trees become stressed by lack of water. Stressed pines frequently exhibit symptoms such as thin, slightly yellowish canopies, or roots that "spider" across lawns (Figure 1). By the time pine trees begin turning brown, they are usually dying, but with some precautions, many trees can be saved before they reach this point.
California has a number of native bark beetle species that individually do only minor damage as they...
