(Megan Kennelly)
Got pine wilt?
Get that tree outta there! Chop and burn or chip, making sure not to leave stumps. Get this done by April 1!
You know the drill. This disease has been killing our pines for decades. It is caused by a nematode that is spread by a beetle. The nematodes and beetles spend the winter in dead and dying trees. The beetles, loaded up with nematodes, start emerging in late April or early May and spread to new trees.
In the eastern 2/3 of the state, if you have a dead pine, there is a decent chance it has pine wilt. We have detected pine wilt a handful of times in western Kansas too.
Get those pine-wilt infected dead trees out of the landscape to help prevent spread to surrounding trees.
Pines have multiple problems though, and if you have any doubt you can work with your KSRE Extension agent to ship a sample up to KSU. For more information on pine diseases, check out our publication about Pine Diseases in Kansas
