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IPM Scouting in Woody Landscape Plants

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Pine needle scale - Chionaspis pinifoliae
IPM scouting in woody landscape plants > pine needle scale
Hosts: Pine and spruce. It overwinters in the egg stage under the scale covering; there may be two generations. Eggs and first instar crawlers are red; later instars are yellow. Look for the first crawler stage as Vanhoutte spirea or common lilac are in bloom. Second generation crawlers are present during bloom of Hydrangea arborea ‘Grandiflora’ or ‘Annabelle’. Branches infested with pine needle scale may turn yellow and have poor growth. Heavily encrusted branches may appear stunted.

Management: Several small wasps feed on pine needle scale. Spray infested branches with a horticultural oil when crawlers emerge in mid-May (spirea or lilac bloom). Dead scales will remain on needles for a year or longer.
Pine needle scalePine needle scale
Pine needle scales, 3 mm long.
Additional information
This information was developed from A Pocket IPM Scouting Guide for Woody Landscape Plants by Diane Brown-Rytlewski. Purchase this in a pocket-sized guide for reference in the orchard from MSU Extension (publication E-2839).
The MSU IPM Program maintains this site as an access point to pest management information at MSU. The IPM Program is administered within the Department of Entomology, fueled by research from the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station, delivered to citizens through MSU Extension, and proud to be a part of Project GREEEN.
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Updated 10/11/07