Pitch canker disease of Monterey pines (Pinus radiata), caused by the fungal pathogen Fusarium circinatum (Fc), has been demonstrated to be more severe in coastal vs. inland locations. Variation in activity of insects such as twig beetles (Pityophthorus spp.) has been hypothesized as one potential explanation for this observation. To test this hypothesis, Pityophthorus spp. were trapped nonspecifically using cut branches suspended in tree canopies in coastal and inland sites in Pebble Beach, California. Additionally, attractiveness of pitch canker-infected branches was tested using two methods of inoculation. First, were branches inoculated with Fc at two or three points and allowed to be colonized. Second, the attractiveness of girdled branches sprayed with inoculum or left unsprayed was compared to control and naturally senescent branches. Four species of Pityophthorus were trapped in cut and inoculated branches (P. californicus, P. carmeli, P. nitidulus, and P. setosus). There was no significant effect of geographic region on beetle trap numbers. Phoresy rates were very low, but were higher for insects from inoculated, girdled branches than for insects trapped by other methods. There was no significant difference in phoresy rates among species. Sex ratios varied by experimental collection method, which indicates a possible effect of the pathogen on the biology of Pityophthorus spp. These combined data suggest that while beetles may be involved in the epidemiology of pitch canker, variation in species abundance and composition does not adequately explain the geographic differences in pitch canker severity in native stands of Pinus radiata.