Pine Spittlebug Pine Spittlebug. Although the nymphs feed on the sap, perhaps the greatest injury is caused by the invasion of black sooty mold after the insects leave.
Adults lay eggs in late summer in the terminal buds of pines.
The eggs hatch the following spring, and the young nymphs begin feeding on the twigs. The spittle-covered nymphs migrate in their feeding and become full grown by midsummer. The parasitic fungus Entomophthora aphrophora is the most important natural control of this insect.