Introduced Pine Sawfly vs Black Horntail

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Introduced Pine Sawfly Black Horntail
Scientific Name Diprion similis Xeris spectrum
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Diprionidae Siricidae
Size 7-10 mm (adult) 15–32 mm
Habitat Farmland Forests
Diet Omnivores Wood Feeders
Regions Europe, North America Europe, North America, Asia
Conservation Not Evaluated Not Evaluated

Introduced Pine Sawfly

A European sawfly introduced to North America that feeds on white pine and other five-needled pines. Larvae feed gregariously and can heavily defoliate trees.

💡

Did You Know?

It was first detected in Connecticut in 1914 and quickly spread across northeastern North America.

Black Horntail

A slender black horntail wasp that breeds in dead conifer wood across the Northern Hemisphere. It is frequently found in fire-damaged forests.

💡

Did You Know?

It is typically one of the first wood-boring insects to colonize trees killed by forest fires.