Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
 

Register · Log In
HomeGuideID RequestRecentFrassForumsDonateHelp
Clickable Guide
Moths Butterflies Flies Caterpillars Flies Dragonflies Flies Mantids Cockroaches Bees and Wasps Walkingsticks Earwigs Ants Termites Hoppers and Kin Hoppers and Kin Beetles True Bugs Fleas Grasshoppers and Kin Ticks Spiders Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes

Calendar
Upcoming Events

Registration is open for the 2024 BugGuide gathering in Idaho July 24-27

Moth submissions from National Moth Week 2023

Photos of insects and people from the 2022 BugGuide gathering in New Mexico, July 20-24

Photos of insects and people from the Spring 2021 gathering in Louisiana, April 28-May 2

Photos of insects and people from the 2019 gathering in Louisiana, July 25-27

Photos of insects and people from the 2018 gathering in Virginia, July 27-29


Previous events
TaxonomyBrowse
Info
ImagesLinksBooksData
Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies (Hymenoptera) » "Symphyta" - Sawflies, Horntails, and Wood Wasps » Conifer Sawflies (Diprionidae) » Neodiprion » Balsam Fir Sawfly (Neodiprion abietis)

Species Neodiprion abietis - Balsam Fir Sawfly

Classification · Explanation of Names · Identification · Range · Season · Food · Life Cycle · Remarks · Internet References · Works Cited
Balsam fir sawfly - Neodiprion abietis - female Balsam fir sawfly - Neodiprion abietis - male Balsam fir sawfly - Neodiprion abietis Balsam fir sawfly - Neodiprion abietis Neodiprion complex abietis - Neodiprion abietis
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies)
No Taxon ("Symphyta" - Sawflies, Horntails, and Wood Wasps)
Family Diprionidae (Conifer Sawflies)
Genus Neodiprion
Species abietis (Balsam Fir Sawfly)
Explanation of Names
Neodiprion abietis (Harris)
Identification
Full-grown larvae are dark green, about 18-25mm long. The head is black and the body is marked with 6 longitudinal dark stripes or bands on the back, the lowest one may be broken up with small dots or spots.(1)
Range
New England to the Lake States and Missouri; coast to coast in Canada(1)
Season
Adults appear in late July to early Sept.(1)
Food
Favored food is balsam fire, but will also eat black and white spruce.(1)
Life Cycle
Overwinter as an egg.(1)
Eggs are laid singly in slits cut in the edges of needles. Larvae feed gregariously on old needles. Feeding is complete in about 1 month. The mature larvae spins tough, silvery or light brown cocoons on the needles or in the litter on the ground.(1)
One generation per year.(1)
Remarks
The introduced parasite, Dahlbominus fuscipennis has destroyed up to 40% of the cocoons in the duff in Maine. Cocoons spun on the needles in the tree were uneffected.(1)
Internet References
Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources fact sheet

Species overview from Wikipedia
Works Cited
1.Eastern Forest Insects
Whiteford L. Baker. 1972. U.S. Department of Agriculture · Forest Service.
Contributed by Ken Wolgemuth on 29 April, 2014 - 6:31pm
Additional contributions by Marci Hess
Last updated 4 September, 2023 - 11:05am

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2024 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by:

Plant Pathology, Entomology and Microbiology at Iowa State University logo

Printer Friendly Version 		Terms of Use
Privacy Statement
Site Map
Contact