Plum web-spinning sawfly

The plum web-spinning sawfly (Neurotoma inconspicua) is a member of the Pamphiliidae family within the Hymenoptera order. This insect is widely recognized by horticulturists as a specialized pest that targets stone fruit trees, causing significant aesthetic and physiological damage to orchards.

The primary hosts of this pest include various species of cherry and plum trees. The larvae are the stage responsible for the damage, as they consume the leaf tissue, which drastically reduces the photosynthetic surface area and puts the tree under severe nutritional stress throughout the growing season.

The life cycle of Neurotoma inconspicua involves overwintering as pupae in the soil. In the spring, adult females emerge and deposit eggs on the undersides of leaves. Upon hatching, the larvae immediately begin constructing silken webs, which serve as communal protection and feeding chambers for the colony.

The damage is characterized by the presence of tightly rolled or folded leaves bound together with silk threads. As the larvae feed, they progress from the margins of the leaves toward the center, eventually resulting in the skeletonization of the foliage and premature leaf drop if infestations are not managed.

• Pruning and destroying infested branches and webbed nests as soon as they are spotted.
• Cultivating the soil beneath the canopy in autumn to expose overwintering pupae to predators and frost.
• Applying specific insecticides targeting early instar larvae when the web nests are still small.
• Encouraging natural predators such as parasitic wasps and predatory birds in the orchard ecosystem.