Pine Leaf Adgelgid – Pineus pinfoliae

Pine Leaf Adgelgid (Pineus pinfoliae) Latin Name: Pineus pinifoliae (Fitch) Common Name: Pine Leaf Adgelgid Appearance:  The pine leaf adelgid is an aphid-like bug that may be found all across the white pine area. Red and black spruces, which are recurrent hosts, create harmless cone-like galls. White pine is harmed every two years; minor infestations inflict minimal harm, but repeated strong attacks might result in death. Trees that have been subjected to severe assaults are frequently disfigured. Hosts plants: The major hosts are red and black spruce. The alternative host is the eastern white pine. Territory: Pine Leaf Adgelgid are a kind of adgelgid native across Canada and the northeastern United States. Damage insect cause: Nymphs of white pine and red and black spruce spread from one tree to another. It forms galls or swellings on each tree’s new shoots and then spreads to the other trees’ shoots. Spruce galls are unattractive, but they do little harm to the tree. However, a severe nymph infestation on white pine will kill the current year’s shoots in late summer, and a moderate infestation would likely kill them the following spring. Description about Leafminers: Leafminer adults are tiny flies that are 0.1 inches (2.5 mm) in length, are black to blue, and have yellow portions on their thorax, legs, and abdomen. At the base of the wings, there is usually a noticeable yellow area. The white eggs are placed just beneath the epidermis of the leaf and hatch in 4 to 6 days. In the mines where they feed, maggot larvae are usually hidden between leaf surfaces; they range in color from yellow to white, are 0.25 to 0.33 inches long, blunt at the back end, and pointed in front. Pupation takes place in mines or underground. The life cycle takes roughly 23 days throughout the summer. Life History and Habits:  The pine leaf adelgid has a complicated life cycle that spans two years and includes two hosts and five unique life stages. A winged version of the adelgid is created from the discolored shoots, which flies to spruce and causes the formation of leafy, cone-like galls at the tip of the new growth in the spring. Gall formation on spruce trees may signify a threat of large populations on pine trees the next year.