Redheaded Pine Sawfly
Neodiprion lecontei |
| USDA Forest Service. 1979. A guide to common insects and diseases of forest trees in the northeastern United States. Northeast. Area State Priv. For., For. Insect and Disease Management., Broomall, PA. p. 123, illus. |
The redheaded pine sawfly attacks all species of hard pines; red and jack pines are preferred in the northern portion of the insect's range, while shortleaf, loblolly, longleaf, and pitch pines are preferred in the southern portion. Trees less than 15 feet tall in plantations or windbreak stands are most frequently attacked. Mortality commonly occurs in pockets or along stand edges where trees are under additional stress.
This sawfly usually feeds on old foliage, but where more than one generation occurs, all foliage may be eaten. Thin, straw-like, brown needles, caused by the feeding of young larvae, are the first indication of an infestation. Older larvae consume entire needles as defoliation proceeds branch by branch. One complete defoliation may kill red and jack pines, while southern pines usually survive a single defoliation.
Redheaded pine sawflies overwinter as prepupae in the duff or litter layer under host trees. After a short pupation in the spring, the adults emerge and deposit eggs in needle edges. The mature larvae, which are yellowish white with reddish-brown heads and six rows of irregular black spots, feed gregariously for about a month, then drop to the ground to construct pupal cocoons. There may be one or two generations per year.
Larva(e)
Gerald J. Lenhard, Louisiana State University |
Adult(s); female
Lacy L. Hyche, Auburn University |
Damage; feeding damage
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Archives, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources |
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