I was out with my son last evening trimming trees that were damaged by white pine weevils. I used my carryall to take the branches to the burn pile, and I hope I got to them before the weevils left the shoots. As I walked up to one of the last trees, I made a couple of cuts trimming the main leader that was about 10 off the ground. I had to walk somewhat into the tree and lean through the branches to reach that high with the loppers. I tossed a few more shoots over my shoulder, and my son was gathering them. Then I could hear an odd sounding motor in the distance. I stood still as I heard it get louder and louder, and I scanned through the field looking for the ATV that I was sure I was hearing. I asked my son if he could hear it, and he said it sounded like a mini bike as it got louder. Then it really started to rumble more, and finally a couple of hornets attacked my shirt sleeve. "Hornets!" I yelled and we ran from the tree swatting at them until we were far enough away that they gave up chase. Luckily neither one of us were stung. I had dropped the loppers next to the tree when I started swatting so I had to go back to retreive them. After 5 minutes or so, the cloud of hornets around the tree disappeared so I snuck back in close. As I gently reached for the loppers I saw the paper nest, about basketball size, hanging from the lowest branch of the tree. It was dragging on the ground. It had a boot-toe shaped hole punched in the bottom edge. The grass and weeds are several feet tall around the trees and I never saw the nest before. Apparently I had walked up and stuck my foot through the bottom side of it and then stood still, plugging the hole, as I trimmed. The hornets must have been swirling inside and that was the motor sound we had heard. All is well that ends well, but my son will always make fun of my high stepping, arms a flailing, retreat.
White pine weevils can be more dangerous than expected
- Thread starter Ford850
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Great story! I'm glad the "weevils" didn't get you. 
linearxs
Member
Where are you in Ohio? I just planted 220 white pine seedlings this spring. There aren't many white pines around me currently. Are the weevils bad in Ohio? At what age do you start trimming?
I'm in North Central Ohio. Overall White Pines do well up here. I've planted over 1000 WP seedlings since 2004. some die out due to dry conditions and I replant too. I've also planted many blue and norway spruce, and maybe 300 red pine. The weevil attacks the white pine the most, followed by the spruce, and rarely the red pine. They don't kill the trees but deform them causing an awkward crooked tree. Some people like the distorted look since it gives trees character as they age. My trees are planted for wind block and screens, with very few for landscape trees, so the weevils don't affect me as much. I see damage on trees that are several years old on up. You'll see the trees affected when the new central leader growth wilts and droops like a candy cane. You trim out the top of the tree then to catch the larva in the branches. It's a little late already to trim from what I've read. We should trim by late June in N Ohio. You don't have to trim, but it is a way to control the pest. The beetles emerge from the bark as adults and drop to the duff under the tree where they will overwinter. Then in mid april they crawl back up the tree and lay eggs in last years terminal leader or the tallest side branch if the killed the leader last year. The eggs hatch as the tree shoots up this years new growth and the larva feed under the bark, girdling the stem. They continue to eat their way down the stem until late June or early July. So anything above where they ate will wilt and die. The tree will not have a central leader and will grow like a bush until one of the side branches takes the lead and grows up. Like I said you don't have to trim, but if you time it right you can eliminate many of the weevils and also get the tree jump started with new growth. You trim just above the uppermost unaffected whorl or branches. Then you remove all branches in that whorl except for the strongest/most upright branch. That branch will start new growth right away and take over as a central leader. The tree will still have crook to it, but it starts the recovery process sooner. You can also spray for the beetles in mid April but I haven't had enough damage to do that yet.
I soaked the nest with hornet spray on Saturday so I can get in that area to do some work. The hornets had repaired the hole my boot had punched in the side of their nest. The paper was a different shade of gray compared to the rest of the nest, and I could clearly see the 2"x4" shape of the new paper material.
20 20
Elite Member
Got caught up in a nest last year was inside my woodshed, no way out. After being stung a few times I got mad reached up grabed the nest threw it to the ground and squashed it. Made my mind feel better but the stings to the body still hurt like heck.
Richard
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Now that is really going to piss the queen off! If she's anything like my wife, she'll demand they redo the entire place so it will match. Everyone knows you don't mismatch your grays.
Personally, I hope you go back when all is quiet and assisinate all the little SOB's.
(coming from someone who's sting allergic and spent 4 hours once in the E.R. with various viles of stuff plumbed into an IV to counteract a sting)
