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Sapling

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I was hoping to get some opinions as to what this may be......

There will be another post right after this one. There is another 'mass' to show you.
 
It looks alot like a nest from pine webworm (Tetralopha robustella). Although I've never seen them on a spruce. They do like firs though. This may sound crazy but does it appear that they have been "pulling" needles off other areas and taking them back to the nest? They are notorious for that wierd habit. They also tend to live in their crap. Do you notice anything resembling brown, oblong fecal pellets mixed in w/the needles w/fine webbing holding everything together? They have one generation in the northern range. The moths appear around June to August. Eggs are laid in single rows on needles. When they hatch they feed until Sept. then drop to the ground to over winter. I'm not sure I'm right, but it's the only insect I know that makes a nest like that.
 
How about the Western Spruce Budworm Choristoneura occidentalis? This bug hits douglas-fir, all true firs, spruce and larch (may also be found on pine).

My source, Diseases & Insect Pests of Northern & Central Rocky Mountain Conifers, states that they may appear wherever hosts are found but significant damage is most often found on dry sites. Does that fit your scenario?

It also states, as UF's pine webworm, that "the larvae mine buds and old needles in the spring, consuming new foliage as it appears. Small larvae first seen in spring and early summer are light green to light brown with darker heads. Mature larvae have brown heads and bodies with prominent ivory-colored spots. They can be about one inch long when full grown. Pupae are 3/4" long and brown and are found in the nests from mid-July into August. Adults are mottled rust-brown and have a wingspan of about 7/8" long. Female moths lay eggs on needles in a shingle-like pattern in August. Larvae hatch and immediately seek a sheltered spot to overwinter."

A severe infestation can result in dieback and mortality. They also destroy cones and seeds.

If this is the bug, I would definitely cut out and destroy nests.

Sylvia
 
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