Pineapple gall adelgid on spruce trees

Symptoms
Adelgids are related to aphids, but are confined to conifers. The pineapple gall adelgid feeds on the sap of spruce trees. Small green or brown pineapple-like galls develop near the shoot tips on spruce. Normal shoot extension may be checked during the summer but often continues once the insects have vacated the galls.

Spot them
Young nymphs overwinter on spruce trees, and lay eggs covered in white woolly wax. Young adelgids hatch within a few weeks (around May) and feed at the base of young leaves and tips of young shoots. In early autumn the galls open to release winged adelgids.