The Peru Gazette

DEC’s Forest Health Research Lab recently confirmed the presence of red pine scale, an invasive insect, in Hague, NY and in the Pharaoh Lake Wilderness in Adirondack Park. Native to Japan, red pine scale was first detected in New York on Long Island in 1950. Red pine scale nymphs feed on a red pine tree’s sap, eventually causing the tree to die. Infestations can be identified by the insects’ cocoons, which look like white, woolly masses around the base of red pine needles.

Until 2024, red pine scale had not been identified in upstate New York, possibly because colder temperatures kept populations low enough to remain undetected. However, increased winter temperatures could cause red pine scale to expand its range northward. DEC plans to conduct surveys in 2025 to determine the locations and abundance of red pine scale in New York.

If you see signs of red pine scale, send pictures and location information to foresthealth@dec.ny.gov. For more information on red pine scale, visit the Vermont Invasives website.