Help ID this pest on my pine

[emk]

I've got a Japanese Red Pine that's had yellowing needles here and there for the last few weeks. I took a close look as I plucked some of these needles out and found some thin grey insects on the needles. (I tried to take pics, but none came out very well; I'll try again tomorrow.)

I've found about 1-2 per needle pair, though I have to pluck a lot of needles to find any. They have thinner bodies than aphids (being only as wide as the needles themselves) and about 1 or 1.5mm long. They seem to be wingless since they don't fly away when I mess with them.

I'll be spraying the pine with a general insectiside, but if anyone has an idea of what these might be so I could take a more targetted approach it would be helpful.

 

[greerhw]

I had something similar to what you are describing and I got them with a product I bought at Walmart. Spectracide "Bug Stop" and it's cheap. I couldn't get them with Kelthane or Malathion. I don't know for sure if it the same pest, but it's worth a try. Good luck.

keep it green,
Harry

 

[emk]

Here's a pic of the critters...any ideas?

 

[Klytus]

A Blackfly?

And a fungus of some sort.

 

[bonhe]

A Blackfly?

And a fungus of some sort.

Hi Klytus,
Those bugs are pine sawflies. They can defoliate the tree. It has 2 pairs of transparent wings. Larvae begin attacking pines in spring or early summer. You can spray with insecticidal soap, pyrethrum or rotenone. Good luck. Bonhe

 

[mcpesq817]

Hi Klytus,
Those bugs are pine sawflies. They can defoliate the tree. It has 2 pairs of transparent wings. Larvae begin attacking pines in spring or early summer. You can spray with insecticidal soap, pyrethrum or rotenone. Good luck. Bonhe

I can't see the picture, but if they are sawflies, you might see green caterpillars in bunches on your pine's needles - those are the sawfly larvae. They blend in really well as they lay flat against the needle and can be hard to notice. I found a cluster on a JBP and a Ponderosa a couple of weeks ago.

 

[rockm]

I think you have two kinds of bugs there. One may (or may not) be an adult sawfly. The other, at the bottom, looks to me like an aphid.

A search on "saw fly" will turn up photos of adults. Sawfly caterpillars can be a real problem. A heavy infestation can devastate a pine tree. It's not really the season for them however. They usually show up in late spring early summer. Not in early fall/late summer.

 

[Dano]

Ponderosa Pine Problem - Need Quick Help!

I have a similar problem but see no insects. Please look at the attached photo and give me your ideas. The smaller branches are starting to die off. Attached is a photo of what the needle looks like as it is dying. I have tried a couple of multi-purpose insecticides/ fungicides with not much luck. I can't afford to loose this one. Thanks in advance.

Dano

 

[pauldogx]

Looks like a fungus of some sort to me. Try a single purpose fungicide like Daconil. The multi-purpose stuff may not be strong enough. Ponderosas are prone to fungus in humid climates.

 

[mcpesq817]

Dano,

Are these old needles or new needles that are having the problem?

 

[Dano]

Just sprayed with Daconil. It is occurring more on the older needles first and when they die, it goes up the branch to the next set of needles. Thanks

Dano