Pest profile

Red Turpentine Beetle

Dendroctonus valens · Coleoptera: Curculionidae[2]

Red turpentine beetles attack the lower trunk of pines, even near the root collar and below ground.[1]

Red turpentine beetle, a reddish-brown bark beetle with a rounded rear end, on pine bark
Red turpentine beetle, a reddish-brown bark beetle with a rounded rear end, on pine bark. (c) Jake McCumber, some rights reserved (CC BY) — via iNaturalist, CC BY 4.0

How to identify it

  • Adults are reddish brown, larger than engraver beetles, with a rounded rear end.[1]
  • Attacks show as large pinkish brown to white pitch masses on the lower trunk.[1]

Look-alikes

Look-alikeHow to tell them apart
Engraver beetlesEngravers usually attack near the top of large pines, have a spiny rear end and push out dry boring dust.[1]

Where it lives

It's one of the main bark beetles in pines in California landscapes and at the wildland-urban interface.[1]

US map: public records from 26 states since 1990 (GBIF).

Biology and life cycle

Adults mine wide, cave-like galleries that run down the stem, packing them with sawdust-like frass.[1]

Larvae feed as a group in roughly the same direction as the gallery.[1]

Damage and signs

  • It infests pines and rarely larch, spruce or white fir, and doesn't attack redwoods or atlas cedars.[1]

Health risk

It feeds on plants; UC IPM mentions no risk to people.[1]

Control

Prevention

Keep trees vigorous: avoid root and trunk injury and soil compaction, and in drought water infrequently rather than in frequent shallow doses.[1]

Sanitation

Remove heavily attacked trees and chip, burn or haul infested wood quickly; never pile it next to live trees.[1]

Common questions

What are the pink sap blobs at the base of my pine?
They're likely pitch tubes from red turpentine beetle attacks.[1]
Can I spray to save an attacked pine?
Little can be done once bark beetles attack; prevention through tree health is the main control.[1]

Sources

  1. University of California Statewide IPM Program, “Bark Beetles (Pest Notes).” ipm.ucanr.edu/home-and-landscape/bark-beetles/ (accessed 2026-10-06)
  2. iNaturalist, “Dendroctonus valens taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/218223 (accessed 2026-10-06)

Updated 2026-10-14. Built from sourced records. Spot an error? Tell us.