Diprion pini


Diprion pini, the common pine sawfly, is a sawfly species in the genus Diprion. It is a serious pest of economic forestry, capable of defoliating large areas of pine forest. A major effect of the herbivore disturbance of the diprion pinis is climate change. Since it feeds until late in the autumn, affected trees are weakened and often die in the subsequent winter. The species is found all across Europe, with outliers elsewhere. It affects the Scots pine, mountain pine, eastern white pine, radiata, Lodgepole pine and black pine. Scots pines are not generally killed by a single defoliation, but weakened trees may suffer increased attack by bark beetles, buprestid beetles, and pine weevils, which can kill trees, as can repeated defoliation. During high rates of defoliation, the growth rate of pines decreases significantly.