What's eating my lace-bark pine?

Lace-bark Pine's ornamental bark makes it particularly vulnerable to damage that disrupts its appeal. Pine aphids, pine needle scale, and pine tip moths are the main insect pests. In North American gardens, deer occasionally browse foliage on young trees. Its moderate resin content gives less natural protection than some other pines.

Honeydew deposits, sooty mould on needles; colonies visible on undersides of needles in spring and autumn Neem oil or insecticidal soap; encourage predatory insects; strong water spray for light infestations

White encrustations on needles; premature needle yellowing and drop; visible with the naked eye Horticultural oil spray at crawler stage in late spring; bifenthrin spray for heavy infestations

Dead, resin-clotted shoot tips on new growth; hollowed-out terminal buds; distorted canopy on young trees Prune out and destroy affected tips; permethrin or spinosad spray at bud-break on young trees

Foliage browsed off lower branches; antler rub strips bark and damages cambium in autumn Deer repellent spray; protective stakes or wire fencing around the trunk of young trees