Have you purchased a real tree to celebrate this holiday season, such as a fir, pine, or spruce? There could be thousands of bugs living in it! Here are some of them you may encounter:
Adelgids
Pineus strobi . Photo: Eric R. Day, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Bugwood #0717003
Aphids
Cinara spp. Photo: Whitney Cranshaw, Bugwood #1476087
Mites
Spruce spider mite, Oligonychus ununguis . Photo: Ward Strong. Bugwood #5445597
Scale
Chionaspis pinifoliae . Photo: Robert J. Bauernfeind, Bugwood #5511475
Sawfly larvae
Neodiprion nanulus contortae . Photo: Ladd Livingston, Bugwood #1241626
Bark Beetles
Western pine beetle, Dendroctonus brevicomis . Photo: Darren Blackford, USDA-FS. Bugwood #2185054
Weevils
White pine weevil, Pissodes strobi . Photo: Steven Katovich, USDA-FS. Bugwood #1398227
Spittlebug
Pine spittlebug, Aphrophora cribrata . Photo: Bruce Watt, University of Maine. Bugwood #5530287
Budworm
Spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana . Photo: Joseph OBrien, USDA-FS. Bugwood #5036025
1