Santa Fe neighborhoods have a large number of piñon trees that are infested with Piñon needle scale.  Please help in saving the piñons in our neighborhood by treating infested trees on your property.  Together we can drastically improve the heath of our piñons. 

In early Spring, the insect emerges from the scale covering and lay eggs along the trunk and thicker branches of the tree.  Proper treatment during March and April can reduce or eliminate the next generation of scale.

If you want assistance in locating the egg clusters on your trees, please contact Jim Dyke at 505-660-7924.

Thanks for your help in saving our piñons.

The links below provide more detailed information about Piñon needle scale

http://www.southview-az.org/documents/az1315_pinyon_needle_scale.pdf

http://losalamosextension.nmsu.edu/documents/la_pinyon_needle_scale.pdf

Piñon needle scales are small, black, bean-shaped bumps on the surface of one-year-old pinyon needles. These tiny, sap-sucking insects kill the needles and seriously weaken piñon pines. Reduced new growth and stunted needles are common on trees suffering repeated attacks. Heavy infestations frequently kill small trees and predispose weakened larger trees to attack by other insects, especially bark beetles, which can kill trees.

The tree shown to the right has reduced foliage due to scale infestation.