What's eating my little gem spruce?

Little Gem Spruce, one of the most compact Norway spruce forms, is particularly prone to spider mite outbreaks due to its extremely dense foliage. Eastern spruce gall adelgid, bagworms, and spruce aphids also occur. Inspect the tight interior canopy regularly with a white paper tap test from late spring onward.

Yellow stippling and bronze discoloration of needles with fine webbing; worst during hot, dry weather. Apply horticultural oil before bud break; use insecticidal soap during summer flare-ups; reduce plant stress with consistent watering.

Pineapple-shaped galls at new shoot bases; tip growth dies after galls open and dry. Prune off galls before they open; use dormant oil spray in early spring.

Silk bags on branches; larvae strip needles causing dieback. Hand-pick and destroy bags from fall through winter; apply Bt to young larvae in late spring.