The adults resemble flies. Identifying the Injury. Larval feeding generally occurs on larvae feed on the outer portion of the needles. The unconsumed portions of needles have a strawlike appearance. Older larvae strip branches of all foliage and sometimes feed on tender bark when foliage is scarce.
Adults emerge in the spring.
The female lays approximately 120 eggs in rows on the needles of a single twig. Each egg is deposited in a small pocket sawed into the edge of the needle. Eggs hatch in about 2 to 4 weeks, and larvae feed gregariously for about 4 weeks. Larvae then drop to the ground and spin their cocoons. In most of the South, there are two generations per year, but in Florida there are usually three.