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Pristiphora abietina

Small spruce sawfly

Description

A black-and-yellow sawfly with transparent membranous wings. The female body length is around 5-6 mm and its wingspan is 9-14 mm. Males are a bit smaller. Its swarming period is already in late April. The females lay eggs singly in sprouting needle buds. One female can lay as many as 100 eggs, with larvae hatched after 5 days. Green in colour, they grow to a size of about 15 mm. The pest attack occurs in form of foliage degradation in upper parts of tree canopy. Needles on the infested twigs turn rusty brown and eventually fall off, leaving the twigs bare. The larvae feed only on fresh seasonal needles and avoid older foliage. The sawfly is more common in younger stands of up to 20-30 years.

Symptom

Young stands - needles damaged in the the top part of the crown.

Tree Species: Spruce

Part of a plant- attacked: Leaf / Needle

Pest significance: Harmful

Pest Category: Insects

Invasive Species: No

Present in EU: Yes