Black Pineleaf Scale

Nuculaspis californica (Coleman)

From: Field Guide to Diseases and Insect Pests of Idaho and Montana Forests, USDA Forest Service Northern Region, Publication Number R1-89-54

Hosts. – Ponderosa pine.

Distribution. – May be found throughout host range.

Damage. – Sustained heavy feeding for several years progressively weakens and can kill trees of all sizes. Persistent infestations usually cause sparse short foliage on twig tips. Needles turn blotchy, yellow-green, and may drop off.

Identification. – Sites on needles infested by the scale tend to become spotted or blotched with yellow patches. Scale coverings are gray to black, and the scale of the mature female is about one-tenth inch long, broadly oval in outline, broadly conical in profile, and has a central yellow-brown nipple (fig. 126). The insect and eggs under the scale are yellow. Similar damages. – Similar to pine needle scale. Scales are distinctly different. Other agents which cause discoloration of foliage similar to black pineleaf scale are pine needle casts, winter

Figure 126 - Protective covering of eggs and female scale of the distinctive Black Pineleaf Scale.

Link to Images in Forestry Images

References.

Anonymous. 1982. For. Insect & disease identification and management. USDA For. Serv., Northern Region; Idaho Dept. of Lands, Insect and Disease Control; Montana Dept. of State Lands, Division of Forestry. 192 p.

Furniss, R. L., and V. M. Carolin. 1977.  Western For. Insects. USDA Forest Serv., Misc. pub. 1339, 654 p., illus.

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