European pine shoot moth

Rhyacionia buoliana

53 host plants

Last updated

Data Maturity Baseline

This profile contains verified pest data from extension databases. Regional field notes and expert review are in progress.

European pine shoot moth larvae bore into new pine shoot tips, causing them to wilt and turn brown. You will see reddish-brown damage at shoot tips in early summer with entry holes and resin seepage. Affected tips eventually fail to grow and create a bushy, deformed tree. Ponderosa pine and other pines are targeted. Damage becomes obvious by mid-summer as stunted growth accumulates.

Prune out infested shoot tips below visible damage and dispose of them in sealed containers to destroy larvae. Timing pruning to remove tips before moths emerge in late summer is most effective. Maintain tree vigor through proper watering; stressed trees are more attractive to moths. Pheromone traps help monitor population timing for any insecticide decisions on valuable trees. Most landscape pines tolerate shoot loss well enough that removal of damaged tips is sufficient management.

Quick Reference

Order
Lepidoptera
Type
borer
Host Plants
53
GDD₃₂ Emergence (est.)
2,660

European pine shoot moth Emergence (est.) typically begins around 2660 GDD₃₂. As of April 23, 2026, Puget Sound stations range from 1434.4 to 1592.7 GDD₃₂, approximately 1067 units before the expected threshold.

Regional Season Tracker

GDD₃₂ accumulation across 7 Puget Sound stations · as of Apr 23, 2026
Station GDD₃₂ Current Stage Next To Go
Issaquah / East King 1,593 Pre-season Emergence (est.) 1,067
Seattle / UW 1,554 Pre-season Emergence (est.) 1,106
Kent / Auburn 1,537 Pre-season Emergence (est.) 1,123
Olympia / Tumwater 1,505 Pre-season Emergence (est.) 1,156
Bellingham / Whatcom 1,483 Pre-season Emergence (est.) 1,177
Tacoma / Puyallup 1,472 Pre-season Emergence (est.) 1,188
Sequim / Rain Shadow 1,434 Pre-season Emergence (est.) 1,226
Regional estimate

Source: MSU Extension, Added 2026-04-03 About GDD₃₂ →

Cultural Controls

  • Prune and destroy infested tips in spring, before adults emerge.
  • Be sure to prune far enough down the branch to remove the insects.

Host Plants (53)

Agathis australis Kauri Tāne Mahuta, Kauri Pine Araucaria araucana Monkey Puzzle Tree, Chilean Pine Araucaria bidwillii Bunya Pine Araucaria cunninghamii Hoop Pine, Moreton Bay Pine Araucaria heterophylla Norfolk Island Pine Athrotaxis laxifolia Tasmanian Pencil Pine, Summit Cedar Cephalotaxus harringtonia Japanese Plum Yew, Cow's Tail Pine Glyptostrobus pensilis Chinese Swamp Cypress, Water Pine Water Fir Shui song Microcachrys tetragona Creeping Pine, Creeping Strawberry Pine Pinus albicaulis Whitebark Pine, Scrub Pine, White Pine Pinus aristata Bristlecone Pine, Rocky Mountain Bristlecone Interior Bristlecone Pinus attenuata Knobcone Pine Pinus banksiana Jack Pine, Scrub Pine, Banksian Pine, Hudson Bay Pine Pinus bungeana Lacebark Pine, Whitebark Pine, Baipi Song Pinus canariensis Canary Island Pine Pinus cembra Swiss Stone Pine Pinus contorta Lodgepole Pine Pinus contorta var. contorta Shore Pine Pinus contorta var. latifolia Rocky Mountain Lodgepole Pine Pinus coulteri Coulter Pine, Bigcone Pine Pinus densiflora Japanese Red Pine Pinus edulis Pinyon Pine, Piñón Pine, Two-needle Pinyon Colorado Pinyon Pinus elliottii Slash Pine, Swamp Pine Pinus flexilis Limber Pine, Rocky Mountain White Pine Pinus halepensis Aleppo Pine, Jerusalem Pine Pinus heldreichii Bosnian Pine, Snakeskin Pine Pinus jeffreyi Jeffrey Pine, Western Yellow Pine, Bull Pine Pinus kwangtungensis Kwangtung Pine, Guangdong Pine Pinus lambertiana Sugar Pine Pinus leucodermis Bosnian Pine Pinus monophylla Singleleaf Pinon Pine, One-leaved Pine Pinus monticola Western White Pine Pinus mugo Mugo Pine Pinus mugo var. pumilio Mugo pine, Dwarf Mugo pine Pinus nigra Austrian Pine Pinus parviflora Japanese White Pine Pinus parvifola Pinus parvifola Pinus pinaster Maritime Pine, Cluster Pine, Turpentine Pine Pinus pinea Italian Stone Pine, Umbrella Pine Pinus ponderosa Ponderosa Pine, Western Yellow Pine Pinus pumila Japanese Stone Pine, Dwarf Siberian Pine Pinus radiata Monterey Pine Pinus resinosa Red Pine Pinus sabiniana Gray Pine, Foothill Pine Pinus strobiformis Southwestern White Pine, Mexican White Pine, Chihuahua White Pine Pinus strobus Eastern White Pine Pinus sylvestris Scots Pine, Scotch Pine Pinus thunbergii Japanese Black Pine Pinus virginiana Virginia Pine, Scrub Pine, Jersey Pine Pinus wallichiana Himalayan Pine, Bhutan Pine Pinus yunnanensis Yunnan Pine Sciadopitys verticillata Japanese Umbrella Pine, Umbrella Pine Wollemia nobilis Wollemi Pine