Français] An insect that damages conifer trees by defoliation.

An insect that damages spruces and firs. Eggs of the spruce budworm are laid on tree branches by the adult moth. Young budworms primarily feed on the new growth of the tree branch, but also eat older needles. Defoliation results, killing the tree.

An insect that damages spruce and fir trees. Eggs of the spruce budworm are laid on branches by an adult moth. Young budworms feed primarily on the new growth of the tree branch, but also eat older needles. Defoliation results, killing the tree. Tordeuse des bourgeons de l'épinette

The larval (caterpillar) stage of a small brown moth ( Choristoneura fumiferana). The spruce budworm overwinters as a young (second instar) larva in a silken shelter (a hibernaculum) and is active as temperatures become warm in spring. Outbreaks usually occur in mature forests of White ( Picea glauca) , Black ( Picea mariana), and Engelmann Spruce and Balsam Fir ( Abies balsamea), occasionally reaching epidemic proportions and creating wide areas of dead and dying trees. These, in turn, become potential fuel for wildfire.

Spruce Budworm is a group of closely related insects in the genus Choristoneura. They are serious pests of conifers, especially Western Spruce Budworm, Choristoneura occidentalis and its eastern counterpart Choristoneura fumiferana. There are nearly a dozen Choristoneura species, subspecies, or forms, with a complexity of variation among populations found throughout much of the United States and Canada.