How to identify and get rid of pine sawflies

Are your pine trees looking a little ragged? Have you noticed patches of needles missing? You might have some pine sawfly neighbors that recently moved in.

But don’t panic! While pine sawflies can strip the needles from your favorite evergreen trees, they don’t typically do enough damage to kill mature trees.

Pine sawflies lay there eggs in pine tree needles. The eggs will look like yellow dots evenly spaced along the needle. What hatches from them may look like a caterpillar, but it’s actually a type of wasp.

The larvae feed on the needles in groups. Younger larvae will only eat the outer layer of the needle, but older larvae will eat the entire needle.

After a few weeks of feeding, they spin cocoons and pupate, eventually emerging as adult sawflies. Eggs are laid in the fall, and hatching occurs in the spring.

Pine sawflies are most easily identified by their larvae, which are often green or yellow with distinctive black stripes or dots running down their bodies. These larvae feed in large groups, targeting the needles of pine trees and leaving behind bare patches where the needles have been stripped away. The larvae also will have a black head and 6 pairs of prolegs at the end of the body.

The adults resemble small, dark-colored wasps, but they don’t sting.

How big are pine sawfles?

Pine sawfly larvae can grow up to about 1 inch long, while adult sawflies are around 1/2 inch in length.

Pine sawflies are found throughout the United States, particularly in areas with pine trees, including forests, parks, and residential areas. You’ll find them on pine trees in your yard or garden, especially during the spring and summer when larvae are feeding.

Pine sawfly infestations can be tricky to deal with, especially if you have them high up on mature pine trees. However, there are a few things you can do to best manage them:

• Handpicking: Inspect your pine trees regularly and remove any sawfly larvae by hand.
• Pruning: Remove and destroy any infested branches or sections of the tree to reduce the sawfly population.
• Maintain tree health: Mature trees can handle some damage done, so make sure you are properly caring for the tree. That way, it can recover from any needle loss.
• Water sprays: Use a strong jet of water to knock the larvae off the trees, making it harder for them to feed.