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Early Insect Pest – the Dangers of the European Pine Sawfly
Early Insect Pest – the Dangers of the European Pine Sawfly
I take my dog for a walk twice a day. During our walks, I am always looking for insects, disease and other problems that may be of interest to my readers. While walking by the local library, I saw several European Pine Sawfly larvae feeding on a Mugo Pine.
At first, the larvae feed on the needle surface, but eventually they will strip the branch of all the needles. In many cases, the only thing that remains is a thin brown thread of the original needle. Once one branch is stripped, they will move on to the next and so on. They don’t feed on the current year’s needles, so the tree usually survives.
If you’re looking into protecting your trees, consider using an insecticidal soap - they do a fairly good job of controlling the European Pine Sawfly larvae.
Have you seen any of these larvae in the wild? Let us know in the comments below.