The most dangerous pest for conifers can rightly be called a pine sawfly - an insect that can cause enormous damage to the plant or even destroy it.
The pine trees suffer the most from the pest, especially at the age of 20-40, however, ornamental plant species are often susceptible to massive insect attacks.
In order to protect the coniferous plantations and take all necessary measures to prevent and combat sawflies, it is necessary to figure out who you are dealing with.
Common Sawfly
Larva
The color of the body of the false creature of this insect species varies from pale yellow to green. On the abdomen of the larva there are black specks located above each false leg, which number from 18 to 22. The head is shiny, round, brown or dark brown. The length of the false caterpillar reaches 25 mm.
Adult
Growing up female The common sawfly occurs in 6 stages, whereas the male passes 5 ages. The female of an adult insect has a convex body color from light yellow to red. Along the perimeter there are black spots. Antennae pilot. The size of the female individual does not exceed 10 mm.
Male color usually black or dark brown, paws red. The size of the male individual is somewhat smaller (6-8 mm). Antennae strongly combed.
Sawfly Redhead
Larva
The body of the red sawfly larva has light gray color. A white stripe is visible along the back, on the sides above each leg there are black spots in a light speck. The head is round, shiny, black. The size of the false caterpillar does not exceed 25 mm.
Adult
External data of adults of both species are the same.
Nutrition
During the beginning of spring, the pest larvae feed on old pine needles. Next, insects move to younger shoots, causing damage not only to the needles, but also to thin twigs.
The larvae "act" in groups, eating the needles, while leaving only penechki. One false caterpillar can destroy up to 40 needles.
What harm do
Not only larvae, but also adult pests that also eat needles cause damage to coniferous plantations. After the first eats the needles, it dries, turns yellow and then falls off.
In the case when there is not enough food, the insect eats bark and young shoots, which leads to the death of the branches in the crown. Over time, the plant loses its strength, falls ill and, as a result, dies. If the pine sawfly attacked a young pine tree, it will inevitably die within 3-4 years.
Due to the weakening of the plant, it becomes an easy prey for other pests and is subject to many diseases.
Difference of pine sawfly from other species
It is worth noting that reproduction outbreaks in specific localization are more characteristic of this pest, however, it happens that reproduction occurs over large areas.
In the year pine sawfly gives 2 generations - in the last weeks of spring and in the middle of summer. The increase in the number of this species is favored by an increase in the temperature of the environment - the higher, the more rapidly development occurs.
If a decrease in air humidity is added to the temperature factor, the conditions become ideal for the development of insect resistance to various detrimental effects.
For present to your attention photos of pine sawflies:
Control measures
In coniferous forests, defeating the pest is quite difficult, but still some methods of control exist, and they can help get rid of the harmful insect.
Glue rings
You can create a similar ring by applying glue to the bottom of a tree trunk. In the period when the larvae begin to descend in order to form a cocoon, they will fall into the created trap and soon die. In addition, the glue trap does not allow the larvae to climb up the trunk to the crown of the tree.
Important: glue must be waterproof and not dry!
Chemical spraying
Chemical plants should be sprayed not only by affected trees, but also by nearby ones.
If the insect was found on the backyard territory, the fight against the pest should be started as soon as possible.
Destruction methods are as follows:
- Planting tomato bushes next to the affected plant that produce certain insect repelling enzymes.
- Digging in the affected plant, which makes it impossible to transfer an insect to another tree.
- Spraying plants tincture of mustard, wormwood, tobacco.
- Use to destroy pest special biological agents.
- Manual collection of sawfly larvae.
It is possible to fight the pest, but control measures may not always give a positive result. Each method is good only at a certain stage of development of the insect, so the best option would simply be to prevent the appearance of the sawfly.
There are several preventive measures for this:
- The spread of the pest is directly dependent on the weather. If the forecast for the end of spring - the beginning of summer promises arid and sultry weather, the appearance of sawflies on trees is guaranteed by 85%. In small areas of coniferous plantations, it is necessary to provide increased humidity at which the pest larvae die.
- If possible, planting mixed forests (hardwood and coniferous) will be the best option. The presence of bushes in the forest prevents adult insects from searching for food.
- The main enemy of this dangerous pest is a bird. Attract as many birds as possible by feeding them and constructing housing for them.
Pine sawfly - harmful insect, which is able in a few years to destroy forests. Neglecting the methods of prevention, not taking measures to combat the dangerous pest, conifer plantations are doomed to extinction.
To summarize, we bring to your attention a video about pine sawflies:
