COURTESY CONN. AGR. EXPT. STA. 
FIGURE 15.—Adult and nymphal spittle masses of the 
pine spittlebug, Aphrophora parallela. 
the pine spittle bug. The opening up of closed stands and pruning 
of dead and dying limbs to reduce the amount of material suitable 
for oviposition are recommended as control practices. 
The Saratoga spittlebug, Aphrophora saratogensis (Fitch), oc- 
curs in southeastern Canada and eastern United States from 
Maine to Minnesota, and south through the Appalachians to 
Florida. In the nymphal stage it feeds on a wide variety of herbs 
and shrubs. Sweet fern, brambles, prairie willow, and aspen 
sprouts are preferred by fourth and fifth instar nymphs. The 
adults feed on red, jack, white, Virginia, pitch, and loblolly pines; 
white spruce; balsam fir; and tamarack. In the Lake States, red 
pine is hit hardest and jack pine ranks second. Heavy infestations 
in the Lake States have destroyed entire red pine plantations. The 
adult is about 9 to 10 mm. long, hight brown to tan in color, with 
a light, irregular stripe on the head and pronotum and with 
oblique, wavy markings on the wing covers. The abdomen of the 
fourth instar nymph is scarlet, edged with black. Fifth instar 
nymphs are dark brown. 
Adults are active from late June to late September. In the Lake 
States, the majority appear in late July. They feed by inserting 
their mouth parts into the cortex of new and old shoots of the 
host, mostly on two-year-old internodes, and extracting sap. This 
causes the formation of necrotic resin-filled pockets in the phloem 
and xylem tissues. Damaged pines are characterized by the pres- 
ence of reddish-brown “flags” of dead foliage, by numerous punc- 
tures on the twigs covered with small drops of resin, and by light 
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