Sequoia pitch moth

Synanthedon sequoiae

58 host plants

Last updated

Clear-winged moths resembling yellow jacket wasps lay eggs on pines, with yellowish larvae bearing reddish-brown heads tunneling into the cambial layer. Distinctive masses of pitch and frass develop at feeding sites, soft and whitish-pink when fresh, hardening and darkening with age; resin masses can reach 1-2 inches in diameter.

Healthy trees are rarely attacked; infestations follow pruning wounds or mechanical damage. Avoid spring and summer pruning when moths are flying. Keep trees vigorous through irrigation and avoid stress. Remove pitch masses to prevent larval development. Prune severely infested branches.

Quick Reference

Order
Lepidoptera
Type
borer
Host Plants
58
GDD₃₂ Emergence (est.)
1,778

Sequoia pitch moth Emergence (est.) typically begins around 1778 GDD₃₂. As of May 13, 2026, all seven Puget Sound stations have passed this threshold (1906.2–2098.2 GDD₃₂), so Emergence (est.) is likely underway across the lowlands.

Regional Season Tracker

GDD₃₂ accumulation across 7 Puget Sound stations · as of May 13, 2026
Station GDD₃₂ Current Stage Next To Go
Issaquah / East King 2,098 Emergence (est.) — —
Kent / Auburn 2,089 Emergence (est.) — —
Seattle / UW 2,063 Emergence (est.) — —
Olympia / Tumwater 2,025 Emergence (est.) — —
Tacoma / Puyallup 1,993 Emergence (est.) — —
Bellingham / Whatcom 1,972 Emergence (est.) — —
Sequim / Rain Shadow 1,906 Emergence (est.) — —
Regional estimate

Source: Pest GDD Catalog (UMD IPMnet), Added 2026-04-03 About GDD₃₂ →

Cultural Controls

  • Prune susceptible trees (pines, Douglas fir) only when egg-laying females are not active (around October to March).
  • Avoid mechanical injury to trunks and branches which may provide sites for infestation.
  • Remove pitch masses and associated larvae by hand.

Host Plants (58)

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 Pseudotsuga macrocarpa Bigcone Douglas-fir Pseudotsuga menziesii Douglas-fir Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir Blue Douglas-fir Inland Douglas-fir Colorado Douglas-fir Pseudotsuga wilsoniana Taiwan Douglas-fir Sciadopitys verticillata Japanese Umbrella Pine, Umbrella Pine Sequoia sempervirens Coast Redwood Wollemia nobilis Wollemi Pine
Data Maturity
Baseline Extension data. Expert review underway.