Pest profile

Spruce Aphid

Elatobium abietinum · Hemiptera: Aphididae[3]

The spruce aphid is a small green aphid that feeds on older spruce needles in winter and early spring, leaving trees bare inside with green tips.[1]

No licensed photo of this species is available yet; the identification notes below describe what to look for.

How to identify it

  • Adults are green and only 0.05 to 0.1 inch long.[1]
  • Needles first show banded yellowish blotches, sometimes with sticky honeydew, then turn yellow or brown and drop.[1]
  • New growth isn't affected, so trees end up with bare centers and green tips.[1]

Where it lives

The PNW Insect Management Handbook covers it on spruce in Pacific Northwest landscapes.[1]

US map: public records from 1 state since 1990 (GBIF).

Biology and life cycle

It feeds in winter and early spring before new growth starts, appearing about February and sometimes building quickly in March and April.[1]

Damage usually shows only after the aphids have left the tree.[1]

Damage and signs

  • Needle loss on the inner branches leaves trees thin, with needles only near the branch tips later in the year.[1]

Health risk

It feeds on plants; the PNW Insect Management Handbook mentions no risk to people.[1]

Control

Prevention

Check important trees weekly starting about November, and other trees from around February.[1]

Avoid excess water and nitrogen; use slow-release or organic nitrogen, and control ants that tend the aphids.[1]

Traps and physical control

Wash aphids off with a strong stream of water.[1]

Biological control

Lady beetles, syrphid fly larvae and lacewings attack them; avoid broad-spectrum insecticides.[1]

More from the research literature

A 2001 Journal of Invertebrate Pathology study from Iceland found green spruce aphid populations infected by insect-killing fungi, with different fungus species in the island's west and east that matched two separate aphid populations.[2]

Common questions

Why is my spruce bare inside but green at the tips?
Spruce aphids feed on older needles in winter and early spring, and the damage shows after they leave.[1]
When should I check for spruce aphids?
Weekly from about November on important trees; damage is done by spring.[1]

Sources

  1. Pacific Northwest Pest Management Handbooks (OSU, WSU, University of Idaho), “Spruce (Picea): Spruce aphid (Insect Management Handbook).” pnwhandbooks.org/insect/hort/landscape/hosts-pests-landscape-plants/spruce-picea-spruce-aphid (accessed 2026-10-06)
  2. Peer-reviewed literature (PubMed), “Geographical distribution and host range of entomophthorales infecting the green spruce aphid Elatobium abietinum Walker in Iceland (Nielsen C et al., Journal of invertebrate pathology, 2001).” pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11812109/ (accessed 2026-10-15)
  3. iNaturalist, “Elatobium abietinum taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/388940 (accessed 2026-10-06)

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