Pine Needle Sheathminer: Appearance, Territory, Damage and Life Cycle

Latin Name: Zelleria Haimbachi

Appearance: Zelleria Haimbachi, often known as the pine needle Sheathminer, is an Yponomeutidae moth. It may be found in North America from British Columbia south to 52° north latitude, east to Quebec, and south to California. The wingspan is around 13 mm. During outbreaks, the pine needle Sheathminer may cause near complete defoliation. Mature larvae can grow to be up to 14 mm long. Small tan on the head. Body is thin and greyish, with a wide, dull orange lateral stripe running the length of it. The larva becomes green just before pupation.

Hosts Plants: This caterpillar feeds on ponderosa pine, lodgepole pine, and jack pine.

Territory: The moth is found in Ontario, Canada, the United States’ Great Lakes region, California, and other western states.

Damage Insect Cause: During the late spring and summer, larval mining in both needles and sheaths causes needles to droop, die, and shed prematurely. Needles are frequently undercut, forcing them to bend at strange angles. Epidemics have frequently occurred concurrently with pine budworm outbreaks. The adults are silvery white moths with a half-inch wingspan. The forewings are pale yellow with a white line across the length of the wing. Bright orange caterpillars are discovered as young larvae inside the needles and sheaths. The backs of older larvae are brown with two faint orange lines.

Life History and Habits: Adults emerge in the early to mid-summer and lay their eggs on new growth. The eggs hatch in the summer, and the small larvae crawl through the needles. As a first instar larva, you spend the winter in the needle. The larvae emerge from the needles the following spring and migrate to the needle cluster’s base. They mine within the sheath, severing the needles and causing the majority of the harm. They regularly visit the sheath of fresh needle clusters and destroy six to ten clusters of needles. A new generation is born every year.