Guides · Updated October 12, 2026
Pine beetles in the Upstate: how to tell if your pine is dying, and what to do this week
Loblolly and shortleaf pines are everywhere in Anderson County, and so are the bark beetles that kill them. Clemson Extension calls the southern pine beetle the most destructive forest insect in the state even though it is native here, and it causes real damage in neighborhoods, not just timber stands. Here is what to look for and how fast to act.
Signs on the trunk
Walk up to the pine and look at the bark from the ground to as high as you can see.
- Pitch tubes. Small blobs of hardened sap, under half an inch across, that look like popcorn stuck to the bark. The tree pushes sap out to try to drown the beetle at each entry hole. Southern pine beetle tubes are scattered across the trunk; Ips engraver tubes tend to be smaller, reddish-brown, and tucked in bark crevices.
- Boring dust. Fine reddish-brown sawdust caught in bark crevices, spider webs, or at the base of the tree. In a drought year the tree may not have enough sap to make pitch tubes, and boring dust is the only trunk sign.
- Woodpecker work. Flaking bark and fresh pecking in a band around the trunk means birds have found larvae under the bark.
Signs in the crown
Needles turn in a predictable order: green, then yellow, then orange, then red-brown. By the time the crown is red, the beetles have usually finished with that tree and moved to the next one. Clemson’s fact sheet puts it plainly: homeowners usually notice too late to save the tree. The time to act is at the yellow stage.
Ips beetles can attack the top of the tree first, so a pine with a dying top and a clean trunk at eye level is still suspect.
Why it matters next door
Neither beetle re-infests a dead tree. The next generation flies to the nearest live pine, and in warm weather a generation can complete in about four weeks. One beetle-killed pine in a yard with other pines is a problem for the whole yard, and for the neighbor’s yard. That is why the standard recommendation from Clemson and the surrounding state extension services is the same: a seriously attacked pine should be cut and removed promptly, not watched.
What to do this week
- Check every pine on the lot for pitch tubes and boring dust, not just the one that looks sick.
- If one tree is clearly attacked, schedule its removal. A dead pine dries out and becomes brittle within a season. Removing it while it is still sound is cheaper and safer than removing it after it starts dropping limbs or snaps in a storm.
- Ask about protecting the others. If you have valued pines nearby, a preventive insecticide spray on the healthy trees is sometimes worthwhile for southern pine beetle. For Ips, extension guidance is that treatment is seldom warranted; removal of the attacked tree and reducing stress on the rest is the play.
- Reduce stress. Beetles target weakened trees: drought, soil compaction from construction or parked vehicles, root damage from trenching, lightning strikes. Water deeply in dry spells and keep heavy equipment off the root zone.
When it is an emergency
A beetle-killed pine leaning toward the house, over the driveway, or near power lines is a storm-damage call waiting to happen. Those go to the front of the line. Call, say the tree is dead and where it is pointing, and the crew prioritizes it.
Sources: Clemson Cooperative Extension Home & Garden Information Center, “Common Pine Bark Beetles in Urban Settings”; NC State Extension, “Pine Bark Beetles”; Mississippi State Extension bark beetle guidance. For a free identification, Clemson HGIC takes photos by email at hgic@clemson.edu.
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