Question
I read your answer regarding the munching sound near pine trees and I have the same situation in my rear yard.  I live in the North metro Atlanta, GA area.  Do these insects actually kill the tree or only come into a dying tree?  Also, do they harm other types of trees and/or shrubs in the same area?  Do they pose the same problem pine beetles would...moving from one tree to another?
Thanks for any information you could provide. Is there a pesticide that should be applied to the tree?

Answer
Pine Sawyers do not kill the pine but infest trees that are dead or dying from some other problem. Pine sawyers are secondary invaders that lay eggs in conifers that are declining as a result of any kind of stress. They will not harm any other tree or shrub that is a live. Young larvae feed on the inner bark, cambium, and outer sapwood, forming shallow excavations (surface galleries). These galleries are filled with coarse fibrous borings (saw dust) and frass.  They will after they emerge as adults fly to other close dead pines but not live pines. They will actually compete with the pine bark beetles for space and limit the bark beetle population in a pine. There is really no need fro treatment since they will not be the cause of the death of the pine. They can be killed with the use of an insecticide called onyx (the same insecticide for bark beetles).