Pine needle scale

Trees affected

Most pines, spruce and fir; reported on juniper

Adult female

About 1/8 inch, white to grayish-white, stays attached to a needle

Damage

Heavily infested needles drop early; sustained outbreaks cause needle loss and twig dieback

Heavy infestation

Needles nearly covered; tree looks spattered with white paint

Where here

Landscape pines and spruce in yards

The needles yellow and drop early, and repeated outbreaks can kill twigs. The pine needle scale (Chionaspis pinifoliae) feeds on needles, not on bark. It can show up on landscape conifers such as the Austrian pine and Colorado blue spruce on our species list. This page is for identification and for the pruning and removal decision. Battle Born Tree Service does not spray, inject or apply products to trees. We identify the problem, prune out dead or hazardous wood and remove trees that cannot be saved.

How do you recognize pine needle scale?

Colorado State University Extension describes the adult female as about an eighth of an inch long, white to grayish-white, and fixed to a needle for life. She is covered by a waxy shell, and under it are eggs. The crawlers that hatch are tiny, rosy-purple and the only stage that moves. Males emerge as small winged insects.

From a few feet away, you will see white flecks on the needles, as if the needles had been dusted. In a heavy infestation the needles are so crowded with scale bodies that the whole tree looks spattered with white paint. Use a hand lens if you can: the scales are on the needles, while sap or pitch is on bark and twigs. Needles under attack turn yellow, then brown, and drop early.

Which trees get it?

Colorado State lists most pines, spruce and fir as hosts, and notes it has been reported on juniper. In Northern Nevada yards that includes Austrian pine and Colorado blue spruce, and any other pine, fir or spruce planted around houses, mostly on the valley floors and foothills. It is a problem of landscape trees. Native pines in the high forest have a different list of troubles, led by bark beetles; see bark beetles in pines.

How is it different from other problems?

Pine needle scale is often confused with a look-alike, the black pine leaf scale, which is gray to black instead of white. Both sit on needles. Needle browning from drought, winter burn or root trouble does not have the white flecks. A tree can have more than one problem at once, especially a stressed one, so check the needles, then the twigs and then the roots. See drought stress and dieback.

What does an arborist check?

An arborist first confirms that the white material is really scale and not pitch, lichen or needle disease, then checks needle loss, twig dieback and crown density. They also check whether roots, water or a bark beetle are stressing the tree.

• Whether the white material is scale, pitch, lichen or needle disease, using close inspection of the needles
• How many needles are lost, and whether the loss is on the lower and inner branches first
• Whether twigs are dead or only the needles
• Crown density overall, compared with similar trees nearby
• Whether the tree is also stressed by roots, water or a bark beetle

When is pruning or removal the answer?

Colorado State reports needle loss and sometimes twig dieback in sustained outbreaks, and that is where pruning helps. An arborist can cut out dead twigs and branches, and thin a crowded crown so light and air reach the interior. Conifers are generally pruned in early spring and summer. See tree trimming and pruning and the best time to prune in Northern Nevada.

Removal is the answer when most of the crown is dead or when the dead wood is a hazard over a house, car or walkway. A conifer that has lost most of its green needles generally does not come back. Call 775.232.8243 or request a free estimate and an ISA Certified Arborist will assess the tree before any work begins. See tree removal.