around 2008 about 20 trees in all.. I pulled up 4 or 5 that year and burned em. I then talked to  DoMyOwn.com and he told me he would recommend Fertilome Systemic Drench. He would guarantee it would get rid of the bugs in the pine trees.. It took two seasons or longer for the stuff to get to the tops of the trees but today there are 17 pine trees we set out when we moved here in late 99 and they all look great. They were all 1 foot tall monsters when they started growing here..

 Now we are known as the people with lots of pine trees. I don't think there are any more on this so called island. Which it ain't.

Now I realize I should have put the Systemic Drench around all the trees on our property for the problem is showing up in other varieties of trees..You apply it up close around the trunk so it does take time for it to reach the top of a tree. All the pine trees are healthy so the bugs probably got driven to other varieties close by. Yes and some of the million year old oaks, must be that old for their size, is gonna take lots of dollars worth as big as they are...oh my, and the HONEY mesquites and pecans and almonds and peach and apricots and on and on..persimmons and palm-granite 

  I learned when we moved to the desert town Odessa containing only one tree and over 100,000 people, plant as many trees as you can find money to buy...Then later if some are in the way or too crowded, cut em down... So we did just that. Every time a nursery had a different tree, we bought one or two. . If it was strange we had to have some..palm trees

Personally, I hate pines on my property. Their acidity kills the grass and the pollen is unbelievable. Not to mention the spring clean-up work they make with the pine needles and pine cones. I had two that were about 3-3 1/2' in diameter and about 80' tall removed about a year ago.

@Smallpatch, thanks for the lead on the Systemic Drench, my dad lives up in the mountains and he has a pine that is dying at the top, I believe his tree got the Bark Beetle like the other trees in our mountain range. I think with your method, he can save it, I'll let him know about Systemic, thanks again.

John when I bought the first Ferti-lome tree and shrub systemic drench the box stores didn't have the Ferti-lome brand so I ordered from DoYourOwn.com. At the time I think it was the only brand that had the midacloprid ingredient which was recommended. Not sure!!!

 I also see where its good for the powder post beetles like what is doing away with the Ash trees.

Jess, good to hear that something works on these critters.  Regarding your pecans and other fruit trees - is the chemical labeled for use with these trees?  If it will carry a lethal dose to the top of pine trees I would hate for it to deliver a lethal (or any) dose to whatever fruit/nut you might be eating!

Cal it list Pecan and fruit trees. It does not mention Almond and I am finding sap coming out of a few places in small mounds like pencil eraser size and I assume there must be critter holes under the sap.  But I see no leaves missing from the branches. Haven't looked at the other two Almond trees yet. I am so happy I can see all the almonds hanging on the trees instead of being chewed in to and laying on the ground. A couple of the pecan trees are loosing leaves on one side. Last year I did see leaves missing on a different pecan tree kinda on the side I don't go around much and did doctor it up early last spring and now some of the branches are starting to recover.

I am sure I need to treat all the trees on the property and not just jump around from time to time..Do My Own . com is out of Norcross,Georgia and will call about Almond and Apricot.

Edited June 12, 20188 yr by Smallpatch

Got the same condition on some of our pines. Thanks for the info re: Systemic Drench. Got some coming.

Hey guys, the active ingredient is imidacloprid. We have looked it up and want everyone using the drench to be aware, while I'm not California, but a person should not take this stuff by the spoon fulls without knowing what it is and how strong it is and how it will affect you sex life.

 But I am sure even the chemicals a person uses in his vegetable garden to make bigger and better  food for the table is not too good for the insects and more than likely not vitamins for humans who eat out of that garden...

  So the reasoning there is if we all stop eating any and everything then we should all live till we die.

Gene I guess the insects are always flying up in the sky and are always on the lookout for just the right pine tree to attack for it is always the tops of the pines that get mauled to death, kinda.!

  East Texas is one huge pine forest and years ago the whole forest was infested. They said is was going to cost an amount equal to the national debt to kill off the beetles so they they just let nature takes its course......Never did hear how it came out for at the time I was driving back and forth from home to Fort Polk, La. every other weekend while doing a second hitch in the army after the first hitch in Germany. And once I got out of the army again, I really did not give a hoot about those trees ever again.

  Actually there are more coral snakes in La. than pine trees. But only people that uses sleeping bags outside are the ones to worry about the coral population.

Edited June 12, 20188 yr by Smallpatch

Yeah, the bark beetle was/is a boon to the pulp industry in AZ. Beetle killed pine makes for some interestingly streaked furniture wood, too. 

No bearing fruit or nut trees on our property and, the Gopher snakes and rattlesnake population won't be affected by the Drench so, we're good.