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Pine white butterfly

Neophasia menapia

42 host plants

Last updated

Data Coverage 1 of 6 dimensions
Host Plants
GDD Threshold
Peak Activity
Damage Severity
Monitoring
Regional Notes

You will see caterpillars with striped bodies feeding on pine needles creating defoliation on branch terminals. Adult butterflies appear in summer with white and dark wing patterns. Larvae feed openly on foliage in groups. Damage ranges from minor cosmetic impact to severe defoliation on heavily infested trees. Lodgepole and other pine species suffer attack.

Hand-remove larval clusters from small ornamental trees. Prune heavily defoliated branches. Encourage natural enemies including parasitic wasps and predators. Time sprays for early season when larvae are young. Avoid broad-spectrum insecticides. Most established pines tolerate defoliation. Maintain tree vigor through proper irrigation and care.

Quick Reference

Order
Lepidoptera
Type
defoliator
Host Plants
42

Cultural Controls

  • Remove and destroy caterpillars by hand to control minor infestations.
  • Prune and destroy branches with large clusters of feeding larvae, when practical.

Host Plants (42)

Pinus albicaulis Whitebark Pine, Scrub Pine, White Pine Pinus aristata Bristlecone Pine, Rocky Mountain Bristlecone Interior Bristlecone Pinus attenuata Knobcone Pine Pinus banksiana Jack Pine, Scrub Pine, Banksian Pine, Hudson Bay Pine Pinus bungeana Lacebark Pine, Whitebark Pine, Baipi Song Pinus canariensis Canary Island Pine Pinus cembra Swiss Stone Pine Pinus contorta Lodgepole Pine Pinus contorta var. contorta Shore Pine Pinus contorta var. latifolia Rocky Mountain Lodgepole Pine Pinus coulteri Coulter Pine, Bigcone Pine Pinus densiflora Japanese Red Pine Pinus edulis Pinyon Pine, Piñón Pine, Two-needle Pinyon Colorado Pinyon Pinus elliottii Slash Pine, Swamp Pine Pinus flexilis Limber Pine, Rocky Mountain White Pine Pinus halepensis Aleppo Pine, Jerusalem Pine Pinus heldreichii Bosnian Pine, Snakeskin Pine Pinus jeffreyi Jeffrey Pine, Western Yellow Pine, Bull Pine Pinus kwangtungensis Kwangtung Pine, Guangdong Pine Pinus lambertiana Sugar Pine Pinus leucodermis Bosnian Pine Pinus monophylla Singleleaf Pinon Pine, One-leaved Pine Pinus monticola Western White Pine Pinus mugo Mugo Pine Pinus mugo var. pumilio Mugo pine, Dwarf Mugo pine Pinus nigra Austrian Pine Pinus parviflora Japanese White Pine Pinus parvifola Pinus parvifola Pinus pinaster Maritime Pine, Cluster Pine, Turpentine Pine Pinus pinea Italian Stone Pine, Umbrella Pine Pinus ponderosa Ponderosa Pine, Western Yellow Pine Pinus pumila Japanese Stone Pine, Dwarf Siberian Pine Pinus radiata Monterey Pine Pinus resinosa Red Pine Pinus sabiniana Gray Pine, Foothill Pine Pinus strobiformis Southwestern White Pine, Mexican White Pine, Chihuahua White Pine Pinus strobus Eastern White Pine Pinus sylvestris Scots Pine, Scotch Pine Pinus thunbergii Japanese Black Pine Pinus virginiana Virginia Pine, Scrub Pine, Jersey Pine Pinus wallichiana Himalayan Pine, Bhutan Pine Pinus yunnanensis Yunnan Pine