What's eating my dwarf alberta spruce?

Dwarf Alberta Spruce's dense, tight growth makes it a prime target for spruce spider mites, which can devastate the inner foliage in hot summers. Cooley spruce gall adelgids and white pine weevils also attack this cultivar. Inspect closely in spring and fall as infestations hide deep inside the dense cone shape.

Bronzing, stippling, and webbing on inner needles; heavy infestations cause significant needle drop and a scorched look. Apply horticultural oil or insecticidal soap in early spring and again in late summer; avoid drought stress which worsens outbreaks.

Waxy white woolly masses at branch tips; cone-like galls distort new shoots. Apply dormant oil before bud break; prune out galls before they open and discard off-site.

Leader wilts and droops ('shepherd's crook') in late spring as larvae tunnel beneath the bark. Prune and destroy infested leaders below the lowest larval entry hole; apply a preventive pyrethroid to the leader in early spring.