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White Frothy Substance on Pine: Spittlebugs

White soft sticky substance on lower branches/needles of 15-ft pine.

Identification: Pine Spittlebug

Nymphs cover themselves in frothy spittle for protection. Adults feed without spittle, eject sap mist. Heavy infestations can kill twigs/branches next year.

Control

Contact insecticide (e.g., Orthene) applied with force before mid-July.
Natural fungal disease often limits populations.

Link: PSU Fact Sheet

Plant Diseases: White Pine Mortality After Drought and Ice Storm: Beetles or Root Rot; Transplant Shock in Oversized White Pines: Root Stimulation?; White Pine Growth Seasons in Wisconsin: Spring + Summer; Resolving White Fungal Growth on Pine Trees Caused by Overwatering; Thinning White Pine: Fertilization for Needle Density; Foam on White Pine: Spittlebug Identification & Control; White Pine "Worms" in Maine: Pine Sawyers, Not the Killers; White Pine Sap Blobs with Holes: Bark Beetles—Spray Trunk Now; Transplanting Young Pines in the Black Hills: Timing and Technique; White Pine vs. Red Pine: Identification and Commercial Value

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