Blue spruce disease / dieback

[bsman36]

I have a 15 year old blue spruce in my front yard, which is starting to turn brown at the very top. My neighbor also has several larger blue spruces which are in much worse shape; one of them, the entire side has lost all of its needles. A local nursery owner mentioned there is a blight or something that is going around affecting blue spruces in the Western Pennsylvania area.

Does anyone have any idea what this might be, and how to treat it?

 

[ATH]

How far down? Is the tip curled over? White Pine Weevil will get into Blue spruce. That is probably the most likely on a relatively small tree. I've seen some larger trees (but also 15-20' tall trees) that have other problems. Pitch mass borer is a common one I have seen...but there are plenty of other pests that make life hard for Blue spruce.

 

[bsman36]

The browning is only at the very top, about a foot or less down. See attached pics. The tree is approximately 15 feet tall, and the rest of the tree looks very healthy. You can see there is a brown branch or two that is curling........

 

[Jason Douglas]

Looks like white pine weevil, a relatively mild concern amongst the myriad others associated with this species.

 

[bsman36]

How do I get rid of the white pine weevil?

 

[ATH]

Nothing to do now to kill the bug. Treat it in about a month with a soil drench of imidacloprid to prevent damage next year.

Can you get to the top of the tree? If so, pull one of the lateral limbs upright. Use a bamboo pole or the like to hold it upright. I use masking tape to tape that pole to the trunk and tape the pulled part upright. Masking tape because it will rot away in a couple of years. I used to used rubber bands, but they go away too quickly. Electrical tape, duct tape, wire tires, etc...will last to long and cut into the tree.