Pest profile

Redheaded Pine Sawfly

Neodiprion lecontei · Hymenoptera: Diprionidae[3]

The redheaded pine sawfly is a native sawfly whose larvae feed in groups on pine needles and can defoliate ornamental and forest pines and kill small trees.[1][2]

Group of redheaded pine sawfly larvae with orange-red heads and black-spotted yellow bodies on pine needles
Group of redheaded pine sawfly larvae with orange-red heads and black-spotted yellow bodies on pine needles. (c) Jack Forrester, some rights reserved (CC BY) — via iNaturalist, CC BY 4.0

How to identify it

  • Larvae look like caterpillars but have more legs; they feed in groups.[1]
  • Adult females are about 1/3 inch long, broad-waisted, with a reddish-brown head and mostly black body.[2]
  • Eggs sit in a row in slits in the needles, each slightly swollen and discolored.[1][2]

Where it lives

It is a native pest of ornamental and forest pines; NC State reports four or five generations a year in North Carolina.[1][2]

US map: public records from 29 states since 1990 (GBIF).

Biology and life cycle

Females lay about 100 to 120 eggs in the needles of a single twig.[1][2]

Mature larvae drop to the soil and spin brown, papery cocoons about 1/2 inch long; prepupae overwinter in the litter, and some wait two or more years before developing.[1][2]

Damage and signs

  • Hosts include many hard pines (shortleaf, loblolly, slash, red, Scotch, jack, mugo and others), and occasionally spruce, cedar and larch growing near preferred hosts.[1][2]
  • Large pines may be noticeably defoliated, and small trees may be killed.[1]

Health risk

None to people or pets.[1][2]

Control

Traps and physical control

When only a few colonies are on small ornamental pines, pick or shake them off and crush them.[1]

Pesticides

They are not particularly resistant to insecticides; products labeled for caterpillars in the landscape give good control.[1]

Common questions

What are the groups of larvae eating my pine needles?
Often redheaded pine sawfly larvae, which feed in groups.[1][2]
Can redheaded pine sawflies kill a pine?
They can kill small trees; large pines are usually just defoliated.[1]
How do I control a few colonies?
Pick or shake them off small pines and crush them.[1]

Sources

  1. NC State Extension, “Redheaded Pine Sawfly (PDIC Factsheet).” content.ces.ncsu.edu/redheaded-pine-sawfly (accessed 2026-10-15)
  2. UMass Extension Landscape, Nursery and Urban Forestry Program (Landscape Insect & Mite Guide), “Neodiprion lecontei (Redheaded Pine Sawfly).” www.umass.edu/agriculture-food-environment/landscape/publications-resources/insect-mite-guide/neodiprion-lecontei (accessed 2026-10-15)
  3. iNaturalist, “Neodiprion lecontei taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/135292 (accessed 2026-10-06)

Updated 2026-10-15. Built from sourced records. Spot an error? Tell us.