What's eating my bunya pine?

Bunya Pine is relatively pest-resistant but attacked by bunya pine moth caterpillars, bark beetles under stress, and scale insects. Falling cones — up to 10 kg — pose a physical hazard. Possums and rats consume ripe seeds. In dry spells, longicorn beetles bore into weakened trunks.

Caterpillars defoliate young shoots and needles; frass beneath tree; heavy defoliation can stress young specimens Apply Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) spray to foliage when caterpillars are small; hand-pick on accessible branches; healthy mature trees recover without intervention

Larvae bore tunnels beneath bark of stressed or drought-affected trees; exit holes in bark; dieback of major limbs Maintain soil moisture; avoid pruning wounds in adult beetle flight season (summer); remove and destroy infested timber promptly

White cottony egg masses on bark and branch axils; honeydew promotes sooty mold; reduces tree vigor in prolonged infestations Horticultural oil spray in spring; encourage natural predators (ladybirds, parasitic wasps); systemic imidacloprid for large trees

Seeds gnawed from fallen or low cones; scale cone segments stripped; significant seed loss in urban parks Collect ripe cones promptly after fall; trunk guards on young trees to limit possum access; no practical control on large mature trees