I've heard of this this coloquial name before, but cannot remember the scientific name.
In general if the needles are browning on the inside of the baugh, and the outer parts are green then this is seasonal needle cast. Many pines hold needles for around four years, then there is white pine that sheds yearly.
Now if the browning is consistant through out the branch and there ar "splotches" on the individual needle then you may have a fungal infection in the tree that needs some proffesional attention to treat and try to find out why the tree is suseptable to the fungus. They are usualy secondary problems after things like drought stress or poor siting of the plant.
