Pine Needle Scale Pheno Forecast, Contiguous United States, 2016 - Current Year

Pheno Forecast maps predict key life cycle stages in a range of species to improve conservation and management outcomes. For insect pest species, Pheno Forecasts are based on published growing degree day (GDD) thresholds for key points in species life cycles. These key points typically represent life cycle stages when management actions are most effective. These maps are updated daily and available 6 days in the future. We forecast crawler emergence in pine needle scale (Chionaspis pinifoliae) at 298-448F growing degree days (base 50F, start date: March 1, simple average GDD method). Forecasts are available for the current and prior year in the USA-NPN Visualization Tool (https://www.usanpn.org/data/visualizations) and 2016-present through USA-NPN Geo Web Services (available upon request). Pine needle scale insects pierce pine needles and consume sap. Treatments are often applied when crawlers emerge from their eggs and before they develop their protective waxy coating.