**European Pine Sawfly (Neodiprion sertifer)**

Also known as Redheaded pine sawfly
Mature larvae are grayish-green, 18-25 mm long, and caterpillar-like in appearance, with ten pairs of legs and stripes running parallel along the length of their bodies.
Eggs appear as an even spaced row of light brown spots along the length of a pine needle.
Adults are wasp-like, brown to black in color and 10-12 mm long.
In the fall, females slit the edges of pine needles and lay eggs in the openings.
Larvae feed in groups on the needles from the previous year and new bark, moving to new trees as needed.
- Needles appear dry and straw-like. Defoliation stunts the growth of the tree.
After a month, mature larvae drop to the ground and undergo transformation to the pupal stage.
In late summer, mature larvae pupate inside golden-brown cocoons in leaf litter. Adults emerge from mid to late fall.
Host plants: Mugo pine, Scots pine, red pine, Japanese red pine, Table Mountain pine, Eastern white pine, Austrian pine, ponderosa pine, shortleaf pine, pitch pine

Natural predators: hymenopteran and dipteran parasitoids, ants, beetles, lacewings, spiders, small mammals, birds, pathogenic fungi and bacteria
Monitor host trees for eggs in needles from early fall to early spring
Prune branches to remove larvae
Remove and dispose of clusters of caterpillars with a gloved hand
Remove plant if severely infested
Northern cultivars of Scots pine are more resistant than southern cultivars

Contact insecticides:
- Pyrethroids [3]: –thrins
- Carbamates [1A]: carbaryl
Systemic insecticides:
- Neonicotinoids [4A]:Imidacloprid (soil drench),dinotefuran
- Organophosphate [1B]: acephate
Considerations:
- Use with caution. Can harm beneficial insects and lead to resistance if overused. Apply before gall formation.