White Pine Sawfly – Neodiprion pinetum

White Pine Sawfly – Neodiprion pinetum Scientific Name: Neodiprion pinetum Common Name: White Pine Sawfly Distribution: Native to North America, N. pinetum may be found from the eastern United States to the southeast of Canada. Host plants: Although pitch pine (Pinus rigida), short-leaf pine (Pinus echinata), red pine (Pinus resinosa), and Swiss mountain pine (Pinus mugo) are also hosts for this species’ larvae, white pine (Pinus strobus) serves as their primary host. Identification: In northwest Illinois, white pine (Pinus strobus) has been seen to provide as a food source for white pine sawfly, Neodiprion pinetum. It preys on red, Mugo, and other short-needled pines in addition to white pine, which is its primary food source. The white pine sawfly is active from July to September and can seriously harm pine trees if allowed to proliferate. The mature sawfly has membrane-covered wings and a large body with a hefty belly. Compared to males, females are bigger and stronger. The female sawfly’s ovipositor resembles a saw, and it is used to cut or slash plant tissue. Then, eggs are placed into these openings, which are often found on the tips of needles. An Over her life, a female can lay up to 100 eggs. In order to produce eggs, females do not necessarily need to mate; nonetheless, unfertilized eggs exclusively yield male offspring, whereas fertilized eggs yield both male and female offspring. Life Cycle: Fall brings the appearance of adult sawflies. The female makes many egg lays in a pine needle by making a slit along its edge with its ovipositor. Both male and female progeny develop if mating has taken place, however unmated females are also capable of laying viable eggs, which produce only male offspring. Over the course of a few months, each female lays around one hundred eggs. Later instars spread out into the foliage and devour the entire needle, whereas the gregarious first instar larvae only eat the needle’s top layer. They consume both new and old pine needles; severe infestations have the potential to destroy lone white pine clusters and severely defoliate the tree. When completely grown, the larvae drop to the ground and build cocoons in the leaf litter, where they overwinter as prepupae that do not eat. In the spring, they pupate and emerge as adults after a few weeks. Damage: Though it may consume pitch, shortleaf, red, and mugho pines, eastern white pine is the preferred kind. Management: This sawfly feeds on the leaves of current and past years, attacking and perhaps defoliating ornamental, plantation, and forest trees of various sizes. There have been instances where a wasp that parasitized eggs has been blamed for natural control. While it is not possible to employ Bacillus thuringiensis effectively, there are chemical pesticides that work well against larvae.