European pine sawfly

(Neodiprion sertifer)

Conservation Status
European pine sawfly
Photo by Alfredo Colon
  IUCN Red List

not listed

 
  NatureServe

not listed

 
  Minnesota

not listed

 
           
           
           
           
 
Description
 
 

European pine sawfly is a common, exotic, conifer sawfly. It is native to Europe. It was accidentally introduced into North America in 1925. It now occurs in the United States from Maine to Maryland, west to Minnesota and Missouri, and in western Washington and Oregon. It also occurs in southern Canada from New Brunswick to Ontario. It is the most common sawfly infecting pines in landscapes. The larvae are active from late April to mid-July. Adults are active from late August through September but are seldom seen. They are found in mixed and coniferous forests, parks, and yards.

In Minnesota European pine sawfly larvae feed on the needles of Scots pine, jack pine, and red pine. They rarely feed on eastern white pine. They feed on older foliage, avoiding needles of the current year. Young larvae consume only the outer tissue, leaving straw-like, twisted, skeletonized needles. Older larvae consume the entire needle. Defoliated shoots have a bottle brush appearance, with only a tuft of current year needles remaining at the tip. The larvae may also feed on young bark, causing the shoot to be deformed. Branches may die but the tree is seldom killed. European pine sawfly is considered a pest because it attacks Scots pine, which is cultivated as a Christmas tree; red pine, which is often used in pine plantations; and young trees, which are often used in landscaping.

Adults are slender, wasp-like, and 516 to (8 to 15 mm) in length, and they have a to 1 (15 to 25 mm) wingspan. They are mostly black with some yellow or orange markings on the thorax and abdomen. The head is black. The antennae on the female are long and have short, tooth-like extensions on one side (pectinate). On the male the extensions are very long, making the antennae appear feather-like on one side only.

Mature larvae are 1116 to 1516 (18 to 24 mm) in length. They are grayish-green with a pale longitudinal stripe on the back (middorsal), and on each side a dark stripe bordered by light stripes. The head is black. They look like small caterpillars but have six or more pairs of prolegs with no hook-like structures (crochets).

 
     
 

Size

 
 

516 to (8 to 15 mm)

 
     
 

Similar Species

 
     
     
 
Habitat
 
 

Mixed and coniferous forests, parks, and yards

 
     
 
Biology
 
 

Season

 
 

One generation per year: late August through September

 
     
 

Behavior

 
 

When threatened, the larva rears back its head and thorax and raises the end of its abdomen, presenting a threatening appearance.

Adults are not strong fliers and are usually seen near a host tree.

 
     
 

Life Cycle

 
 

The female creates a slit in a needle and inserts a single white egg. It is difficult to spot an infected needle until the first frost, when the tissue over the egg turns yellow or light brown. The needle then reveals an evenly spaced row of six to eight elongated, oval spots. The eggs overwinter and the larvae emerge in mid-April to early May. They pupate in a cocoon, either in a protected place on the bark or in duff on the ground. Adults emerge in the fall.

 
     
 

Larva Food

 
 

 

 
     
 

Adult Food

 
 

 

 
     
 
Distribution
 
 

Distribution Map

 

Sources

22, 24, 27, 29, 30, 82, 83.

 
  5/17/2023      
         
 

Occurrence

 
 

 

 
         
 
Taxonomy
 
 

Order

Hymenoptera (ants, bees, wasps, and sawflies)  
 

Suborder

Symphyta (sawflies, horntails, and wood wasps)  
 

Superfamily

Tenthredinoidea (typical sawflies)  
 

Family

Diprionidae (conifer sawflies)  
 

Subfamily

Diprioninae  
 

Genus

Neodiprion  
       
 

Synonyms

 
 

 

 
       
 

Common Names

 
 

European pine sawfly

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
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Alfredo Colon

 
    European pine sawfly   European pine sawfly  
           
    European pine sawfly      
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos
 
 

 

 
           

 

Camera

     
 
Slideshows
 
Neodiprion sertifer (Geoffroy, 1785)
Ian Andrews
  Neodiprion sertifer (Geoffroy, 1785)  
 
About

Records are few, but spread across VCs 61-64 Larvae feed gregariously on pine, esp. P. silvestris.

 

 

slideshow

       
 
Visitor Videos
 
       
 

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Other Videos
 
  European Pine Sawfly Larvae (Neodiprion sertifer)
ONnaturegirl
 
   
 
About

Jul 4, 2013

Pine sawfly larvae moving in unison

 
  Neodiprion sertifer-ravageur de Pin
Lise MH
 
   
 
About

Jun 13, 2020

 
  European Pine Sawfly - University of Kentucky Entomology
UKEntomology
 
   
 
About

Apr 26, 2010

European Pine Sawfly. For more information: http://entomology.ca.uky.edu/

This insect is a pest of urban pine trees. Although it looks like a moth or butterfly caterpillar, this is the larval stage of a wasp.

 

 

Camcorder

 
 
Visitor Sightings
 
           
 

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  Alfredo Colon
5/30 to 6/1/2021

Location: Woodbury, MN

European pine sawfly  
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings
 
 

 

 

 

 

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Created: 5/17/2023

Last Updated:

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