The jumping oak gall (Neuroterus sp.) is caused by a small stingless wasp. The female wasp lays eggs in developing leaf buds. The egg hatches into a larva that will live in and feed on the gall tissue. In early summer, the gall drops from the leaf and moves into leaf litter or the soil. The larva will mature into a pupa and overwinter in the gall
Damage may be severe for one or two years and then the population declines as natural controls become effective. White oaks and other oaks in the white oak group are the host species. Although infected trees may be defoliated, the problem is rarely fatal for healthy trees.
There is no effective treatment for this gall and treatment is not necessary.
