Spruce
Guides
Adelges abietis
Pineapple-gall Adelgid, Eastern Spruce Gall Adelgid, Spruce Gall Aphid
Adelges abietis, commonly known as the pineapple-gall adelgid or eastern spruce gall adelgid, is a conifer-feeding insect that induces distinctive pineapple-shaped pseudocone galls on spruce shoots. The species is one of the most common adelgids in its genus and has been documented across Europe and North America. Unlike the closely related hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae), A. abietis is not considered a major destructive pest, though its gall formation causes shoot deformation. The species exhibits strongly aggregated spatial distributions within and among host trees.
Adelges cooleyi
Cooley spruce gall adelgid, Douglas fir adelgid, gall adelgid
Adelges cooleyi is a gall-forming adelgid native to western North America, specifically the Rocky Mountains and Cascade Mountains. It is a host-alternating species with a complex life cycle involving two primary hosts: spruce (Picea) species as primary hosts and Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) as the secondary host. On spruce, the adelgid induces the formation of distinctive pineapple-shaped galls at branch terminals. On Douglas fir, it produces white, cottony wax masses containing eggs but causes less conspicuous injury. The species has two generations per year and exhibits morphological dimorphism: progredientes migrate to current-year needles while sistentes settle on older needles.
Cinara costata
Mealy Spruce Aphid
Cinara costata is a large aphid species in the family Aphididae, commonly known as the Mealy Spruce Aphid. It feeds on conifers, particularly spruce (Picea spp.), and is native to Europe where it has been documented in Great Britain, Denmark, Belgium, and France. Like other Cinara species, it produces honeydew that attracts ants and wasps. The species was first described by Zetterstedt in 1828 from specimens collected in Scandinavia.
Cinara obscura
Dark Spruce Stem Aphid
Cinara obscura is a species of large aphid in the family Aphididae, commonly known as the Dark Spruce Stem Aphid. It is a conifer-feeding aphid that infests spruce trees (Picea species). Like other members of the genus Cinara, it possesses a long piercing-sucking beak adapted for tapping into phloem tissues. The species overwinters as eggs on host needles. It produces honeydew, which attracts ants and wasps and supports sooty mold growth.
Cinara pilicornis
spruce shoot aphid, brown spruce shoot aphid
Cinara pilicornis is a large aphid species specialized on spruce trees, particularly Norway spruce (Picea abies) and Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis). Native to Europe, it has been introduced to New Zealand and South Korea. The species produces melezitose, a trisaccharide sugar, and is associated with specific semiochemicals including nepetalactone compounds. It is attended by ants such as Formica polyctena and serves as a host for Entomophthora fungi, though it experiences low parasitism by the wasp Pauesia pini.
Dendroctonus rufipennis
spruce beetle, great spruce bark beetle
Dendroctonus rufipennis, the spruce beetle, is a bark beetle native to North America and a major pest of spruce forests. Adults measure 4–7 mm in length and are among the larger bark beetles in spruce. The species undergoes a facultative life cycle of 1, 2, or 3 years, with 2-year cycles being most common. Outbreaks have caused extensive tree mortality across western North America, particularly affecting Engelmann and white spruce. Climate warming and drought stress are key factors driving population increases.
Dioryctria abietivorella
fir coneworm, Evergreen Coneworm Moth
Dioryctria abietivorella, commonly known as the fir coneworm, is a species of snout moth in the family Pyralidae. The species was described by Augustus Radcliffe Grote in 1878. Its larvae develop in conifer seed cones and branches, with documented performance varying by host species and cone availability. White spruce appears to be the most suitable host based on development rate studies.
Epinotia radicana
Red-striped Needleworm Moth
Epinotia radicana is a small tortricid moth known for its association with coniferous forests across northern North America. The species is recognized by its common name referencing the reddish larval stripes and needle-feeding habits. It has been documented from western Canada through to the northeastern United States, with a life cycle tightly synchronized to the phenology of its host trees. The species is not considered a significant forest pest despite its widespread occurrence in spruce-fir ecosystems.
Hylastes
Hylastes is a genus of crenulate bark beetles in the family Curculionidae, comprising over 90 species. Members are primarily associated with coniferous hosts, particularly pines and spruces, where they breed in stumps, roots, and stressed or dying trees. Several species are economically significant as vectors of fungal pathogens causing tree mortality. The genus has a fossil record extending to the Eocene, with Hylastes perkovskyi described from Rovno amber.
Ips perturbatus
Northern Spruce Engraver
Ips perturbatus, the northern spruce engraver, is a bark beetle in the family Curculionidae (subfamily Scolytinae) that colonizes spruce trees (Picea spp.) across northern North America. It is primarily associated with white spruce (Picea glauca) and typically breeds on trees already killed or weakened by other agents, though it can attack stressed living trees. The species has one generation per year in most of its range, with adults overwintering in the ground. Males initiate galleries and attract 1–4 females to form harems; females construct egg tunnels averaging 10 cm in length and lay approximately 49 eggs each. The species is notable for its associations with ophiostomatoid fungi, particularly Leptographium fruticetum, which may play a role in its ecology.
Lambdina fervidaria
curve-lined looper, spring hemlock looper, curved-lined looper moth
Lambdina fervidaria is a geometrid moth found in eastern North America. Adults have a wingspan of approximately 27 mm and are active from May to August. The species has two recognized subspecies with slightly different host plant preferences. Larvae feed on hardwood trees including oaks and ashes, while the subspecies L. f. athasaria specializes on conifers such as balsam fir, spruce, and eastern hemlock.
Mesopolobus
Mesopolobus is a genus of chalcidoid wasps in the family Pteromalidae, established by Westwood in 1833. The genus contains approximately 135 valid species with cosmopolitan distribution. Most species are parasitoids of pupae, though the genus exhibits diverse life histories. Species have been documented from coniferous foliage, particularly spruce, as well as from gall-forming insects and other hosts.
Piceacecis
Piceacecis is a genus of gall midges (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) described by Gagné in 2014. The genus is associated with spruce trees (genus Picea), as indicated by its etymology. As a recently described genus within the diverse gall midge family, its species are likely specialized in inducing galls on spruce foliage or shoots. The genus has been recorded from Denmark.
Piceacecis tsugae
white spruce shoot gall midge
Piceacecis tsugae is a gall midge in the family Cecidomyiidae that induces galls on spruce shoots. The specific epithet "tsugae" suggests an association with hemlock (Tsuga), though this species is documented on spruce (Picea). It is a poorly studied species with limited observational records.
Polygraphus rufipennis
Four-eyed Spruce Bark Beetle
Polygraphus rufipennis is a phloeophagous bark beetle restricted to Abietineae hosts in northern and mountainous areas of North America. It completes one generation annually with spring and summer broods, developing from egg to adult in approximately two months. Males produce a highly volatile aggregation pheromone (3-methyl-3-buten-1-ol) that attracts both sexes, with females generally exhibiting stronger responses. The species colonizes both felled and standing trees, with attack densities varying by tree condition and bark characteristics.
Scolytus piceae
Spruce Engraver
Scolytus piceae is a bark beetle species in the weevil family Curculionidae, subfamily Scolytinae, commonly known as the Spruce Engraver. It is a primary phloem-feeding beetle specializing on spruce trees, with documented associations with Engelmann spruce and white spruce in northern Idaho. The species constructs galleries in the phloem tissue of host trees where larvae develop.
Taniva albolineana
Spruce Needleminer Moth
Taniva albolineana is a monotypic tortricid moth endemic to North America, commonly known as the spruce needleminer moth. The species is specialized on spruce (Picea spp.) as its host plant, with larvae mining within needles. It is the sole member of the genus Taniva. The moth is primarily documented from the Canadian prairie provinces and adjacent regions.
Tetropium
spruce longhorn beetles
Tetropium is a genus of long-horned beetles (Cerambycidae) containing at least 20 described species, sometimes classified in its own monotypic tribe Tetropiini. Several species are significant forest pests, particularly of spruce (Picea) trees. The genus includes economically important species such as T. fuscum (brown spruce longhorn beetle), an invasive pest in Atlantic Canada, and T. castaneum. Adults are attracted to synthetic pheromones and host tree volatiles, making them amenable to detection and monitoring using baited traps.
Zeiraphera canadensis
spruce bud moth
Zeiraphera canadensis, the spruce bud moth, is a small tortricid moth native to North America. The species is univoltine, with eggs laid on white spruce in July that overwinter and hatch the following May. Larvae feed within spruce buds and shoots, causing deformation and growth reduction in host trees. The species is recognized as a significant pest of white spruce plantations, particularly in Canada and the northeastern United States.
Zeiraphera unfortunana
Purple-striped Shootworm Moth, purplestriped shootworm
Zeiraphera unfortunana is a tortricid moth species native to boreal and subarctic regions of North America. The larvae are specialized feeders on coniferous trees, particularly spruce and fir species, where they develop in shoots and buds. The species was described by Powell in 1983 and is one of several Zeiraphera species known as 'budworms' or 'shootworms' due to their larval feeding habits.