What's eating my tannenbaum mugo pine?

Tannenbaum Mugo Pine faces its worst threat from pine sawfly larvae, which skeletonize needles in spring. Pine needle scale and Zimmermann pine moth also cause significant damage. Deer and rabbits will browse young plants. Inspect in early spring and treat promptly to protect the dense, conical form.

Needles stripped or skeletonized in late spring; clusters of green larvae visible on branches Hand-pick small colonies; apply spinosad or insecticidal soap when larvae are young; remove egg masses from needles in winter

White, oyster-shell-shaped scales encrust needles; yellowing and needle drop on heavily infested branches Apply horticultural oil in early spring (crawler stage); repeat in summer; prune and dispose of heavily infested stems

Pitch masses at branch whorls; flagging shoots; branches die back at the point of entry Prune and destroy infested branch tips in late summer; apply permethrin to branch whorls in early spring before larvae enter

Bark stripped from the base (rabbits in winter); foliage browsed down from the tips (deer) Wrap trunk with hardware cloth or plastic guards in autumn; use deer repellent spray; install fencing around young specimens