Question a woodpecker made alot of holes in my 30ft pine tree.I have seen sap collect in globs from these tiny holes and never really gave it no mind because the tree has always looked healthy.Yesterday I pulled off a glob of sap about the size of half a golf ball and to my suprise there was a worm about one inch long it was white with a brown head and very much alive so I pulled off a couple more globs and found more worms.My tree still looks healthy please tell me I can save it.THANK YOU.ps Im in Reno NV.
AnswerThese are insects--If the glob is white the insect is a cone moth called Dioryctria. These will bore into the trunk usually in weak places. They do not really cause much health problem to the tree.
IF the color of the globs is not white more brown or red color mixed in these are Black Turpentine Beetles. Turpentine beetles can over time damage and even kill a tree. It takes several years of attack for them to kill the tree.
I would suggest that you spray the areas with an insecticide called Onyx or Talstar. Spray the trunk at least the lower 10-16 feet until the insecticide spray runs down the trunk. This will kill the beetle and the moth and stop the infestation. Check with your local nursery fro these insecticides.
