Species Neodiprion sertifer - European Pine Sawfly

Neodiprion sertifer (Geoffroy 1785)

native to Europe, adventive in NA

Feeds on: mugho and table top pines. It also feeds on Scotch, red, Jack, and Japanese pines. It rarely feeds on white, Austrian, Ponderosa, shortleaf and pitch pines.

Usually only one generation per year.

Prefers to oviposit on pine trees with high resin acid content as it provides protection from natural enemies. The regurgitated resin serves as an effective defense against parasitoids.(1)

Overwinters as an egg(2)

Eggs are laid on clusters near the end of a branch. 6-8 eggs are laid in a single needle and about 10-12 needles in a single cluster are targeted. The larvae feed gregariously on previous year's foliage and devour all the needles before moving to the next branch. New needles are never eaten but larvae may feed on bark of new shoots. Full-grown larvae either drop to the ground and spin tough, light to dark golden brown cocoons in the duff or they spin them in protected locations on the tree. Pupation occurs in early Sept to late fall.

Earliest record in our area: NJ 1925

During the late 1930s and 1940s, 2 European parasites were established in NJ. One was Dahlbominus fuscipennis and the other was Exenterus abruptorius. Neither species has provided adequate control.(2)

Fact sheets: Shetlar (2000)(3) | Mazzey & Masiuk (yr?)[cite:612026] | Heitland (2001) | anon. (2011)(4)