White Pine Saplings' Tops Eaten

[logbutcher]

Repeat question from "Homeowner Help".
Got 100's of White Pine saplings on our logged woodlot. About 1/3 of them have the top growth (last year's) eaten by caterpillers or grubs in a few of the diseased pines.
Any idea what they are ?
Solutions without spraying ?
I've been cutting up the pines that have the top eaten. (No pics since we're still back in the film era. Suggestions for a good, all-weather digital camera accepted.)

 

[woodcutter 5429]

kinda sounds like white pine weevil. dont kno if you have a problem with those in the east or not. nothing is going to get rid of them fast without sometype of chemical application. if you keep a high density of trees there or mix up the species that grow there and have some biodiversity they tend not to attack as much and this may help. if they are that thick tho (assuming its white pine weevil) it might be too late. i just read your other post and the white grub doesnt sound like a weevil. they are a brownish black and have some tiny white specks on them

 

[kevinj]

Repeat question from "Homeowner Help".
Got 100's of White Pine saplings on our logged woodlot. About 1/3 of them have the top growth (last year's) eaten by caterpillers or grubs in a few of the diseased pines.
Any idea what they are ?
Solutions without spraying ?
I've been cutting up the pines that have the top eaten. (No pics since we're still back in the film era. Suggestions for a good, all-weather digital camera accepted.)

If your White pines show evidence of actual damage by a chewing insect,
that is one problem. However, White pine weevel damage is evident by, the central leader turning brown. The damage is done within the bottom part of the new years growth on the central leader. You'll see a few small holes there.
If you do, thats the White pine weevel.

 

[logbutcher]

You both were right on: Pine Weevil a.k.a Pissodes strobi. A finer Latin could not have been made up. The leader is being eaten, and the "grubs" are on only a few of the trees. I'll grab up the grubs found, and destroy the pines that have been affected. Too dry now to burn in the woods.
Thx.