Forest Health
Summer Tree Insects to Keep an Eye On
Southern pine beetle, spotted lanternfly, fall webworm, and elm leaf beetles, oh my! Keep your eyes open for these summer tree insects.
March 26, 2025
Southern pine beetle, spotted lanternfly, fall webworm, and elm leaf beetles, oh my! Keep your eyes open for these summer tree insects.
Southern pine beetle (SPB) is a small native beetle that can cause a widespread damage in pine forests. Normally, SPB occurs in low levels attacking stress-weakened trees, but when SPB populations increase to epidemic levels, they will begin attacking healthy pine trees.
Spotted lanternfly, sometimes abbreviated SLF, has not been detected in Georgia…yet, but it was detected next door in North Carolina in Summer 2022. This is an invasive insect to keep our eyes open for, given its potential to damage crops and trees.
Events that stress trees, like hurricanes, can cause bark beetle populations to explode into large outbreaks. In the wake of Hurricane Michael, many forest owners feared that the forest damage caused by the storm would lead to an outbreak of bark beetles.
Southern pine beetle, spotted lanternfly, fall webworm, and elm leaf beetles, oh my! Keep your eyes open for these summer tree insects.
Southern pine beetle (SPB) is a small native beetle that can cause a widespread damage in pine forests. Normally, SPB occurs in low levels attacking stress-weakened trees, but when SPB populations increase to epidemic levels, they will begin attacking healthy pine trees.
Spotted lanternfly, sometimes abbreviated SLF, has not been detected in Georgia…yet, but it was detected next door in North Carolina in Summer 2022. This is an invasive insect to keep our eyes open for, given its potential to damage crops and trees.
Events that stress trees, like hurricanes, can cause bark beetle populations to explode into large outbreaks. In the wake of Hurricane Michael, many forest owners feared that the forest damage caused by the storm would lead to an outbreak of bark beetles.
