What does pine sawfly look like?

What does pine sawfly look like?

This sawfly is a pale yellow caterpillar with a black head and four rows of black spots along its body. It feeds primarily on old and new needles of white pine. The larvae can be found from late June to August. This insect passes the winter as a pupa in a brown cocoon on the ground.

What kind of caterpillar eats pine needles?

European pine sawfly larvae
European pine sawfly larvae quickly strip pines of older needles. Scout now for this pest before larvae reach their full size to damage pine trees. One of nature’s unique creatures is the European pine sawfly.

What is a sawfly caterpillar?

Sawfly caterpillars on Pine Trees Diprion pini, often referred to as the Common Sawfly or Conifer Sawfly, is a pest of pine trees throughout much of Europe. The larvae develop orange heads in late instars. Worldwide there are several other species of sawfly caterpillars that feed on pine trees.

Are sawflies wasps?

How to identify sawflies. Sawflies are related to wasps and bees. Their name comes from the saw-like ovipositor (egg-laying structure) of adult females. Adult sawflies are small, stout-bodied, non-stinging wasp-like insects, although they are seldom noticed in the landscape.

What eats European pine sawfly?

Birds and rodents may feed on the larvae but they rarely eliminate all the sawflies on a tree. Although caterpillar-like in appearance, European pine sawfly is related to wasps and bees.

What animals eat sawfly?

Sawfly larvae are fed upon by many animals, including some birds, lizards, frogs, ants, predatory wasps and other insects, while carnivorous mammals such as shrews and deer mice and several species of beetle larvae prey on the pupae.

What kind of sawflies feed on pine trees?

Many sawflies are specialist feeders. The willow sawfly, for example, defoliates willows, while several kinds of pine sawflies focus their feeding on pines. The table below lists some of the more common North American sawflies that might present problems in the garden or landscape, and their host plants.

What are the names of the three groups of sawflies?

While the terms sawfly and Symphyta have been used synonymously, the Symphyta have also been divided into three groups, true sawflies (phyllophaga), woodwasps or xylophaga (Siricidae), and Orussidae.

Where does the European pine sawfly live?

It is native to Europe and Asia and has been introduced in north-eastern North America. In Europe, it occurs from the Mediterranean to the northern parts of Fennoscandia, from lowlands to mountains up to 2100 m. In Asia, it occurs in Siberia, Korea and Japan, even at a height of 3000 m ( Pschorn-Walcher, 1965, 1982).

What’s the life expectancy of an adult sawfly?

Adult sawflies are short-lived, with a life expectancy of 7–9 days, though the larval stage can last from months to years, depending on the species. Parthenogenetic females, which do not need to mate to produce fertilised eggs, are common in the suborder, though many species have males.