Perhaps one of the species of tip moths or coneworms?

tj

A search with "Pine tip moths" gives me Rhyacionia buoliana or Neodiprion sertifer. The first one looks close : description, biology, images and damage seem to match.

I hope their manual destruction will suffice (fortunately, there's only one generation per year) as I don't want to use any insecticide in my garden. Too bad I noticed their presence so late...

Thank you,
Olivier.

3 pictures of the little tree itself to give you an idea of the damage done :

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A good part of this year's growth ('candles') has been defoliated. Although there's no moth remaining (I check almost every day), this kind of waxy white stuff doesn't go.

Olivier.

Not sure what the insect larva is, but it isn't a Lepidopteran (moths, butterflies) or Symphytan (sawflies), as they have rear prolegs which yours doesn't. I'd suspect a Coleopteran (beetle) larva of some sort.

Rhyacionia buoliana can't be the culprit, as that doesn't eat needles, it tunnels out the buds.

Resin

Thanks Michael.

I continued to search with your answer and... well, got a bit lost between all those bugs, Lepidopteran, Symphytan, Coleopteran (I'm not very good at this).

Then I asked the question on a usenet forum and someone suggested Acantholyda hierogliohica. Began to search again and found this page (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Acantholyda_hierogliohica) where there seems to be a match (the picture on the left is exactly what I found on the shoots).

Another page which seems to confirm : http://www.forestryimages.org/browse/detail.cfm?imgnum=4544076.

Olivier.