I had been searching for a source for it too only to find that there is no local source in Pa. The needles that you get commercialy for mulch are southern pines and you have to order them from down south where they grow. I got some when I went to Florida. They were $4.25 a bale. There are mail order companies to get pine straw/pine needle mulch but by the time you pay for delivery, it's very expensive. The best needles come from Longleaf pine. Look up Pine straw direct and their website gives prices and info.

I got pine needle mulch from my neighbor's trees and I regretted it. It was as if I put out an open invitation to every vole in the county to set up residence in my flower beds. I didn't know this until the spring when I found the trails under the mulch. They had a feast the whole winter on my plants. :(

Sorry for bringing this old topic up, but I had a question. Earline, did you mulch all of your beds or just spots? I want to use pine needles as a mulch around certain plants and on my rose bed so I am hoping that just putting it in spot places won't invite voles. Also, how thick did you put it on?

I mulched two beds and the voles were in both of them. I'm guessing it was about two inches deep. Maybe you will be ok with it only in spots, only time will tell ;)

They are high in acid,I use to live next to a pinetree farm,I use togather for under acid loving plants Rhodys,azaeleas they got beautiful,full of flowers

I never got voles in 2 areas where I used the pine needles. One area I used pine bark and pine needle mulch I had moles, mice or voles. I think any type of mulch makes the soil moist and easier for any critter to dig tunnels through, just my opinion. The area they were in wasn't prominent. If you get rid of their food source, grubs, I think, they won't care to tunnel in your yard. They are doing us a favor eating these grubs anyway. I think Japanese beetles are some of the grubs. They chew up some plant leaves.

Not so true on the acid part.
Read this article
http://wood.uwex.edu/2010/11/18/pine-needles-cause/

This year I used pine bark mulch only, and there are raised areas in the soil under the pine bark mulch. It is likely the soil being easy to tunnel through with ANY mulch keeping things moist and not too frozen, like plain bare soil would be in my zone 6 yard.

I meant to say I used hardwood bark mulch.

I think that I will try to get some of the pine needles from local pines (pinus strobus) though not thick and durable, will be good to spread on top of fall leaves. They will stop my fall leaf collection in place under my oak trees.

I have seen lots of mounds of soil in my front yard, strangely enough, these holes and mounds with holes in them are in my front yard, pretty close to my Eastern white pines, 2 of them, which are 30+ years old. These trees are in good health, with only snow load damage. just 2-3 limbs that have been bent down to the ground from wet snow a couple months ago. But, anyhoo, these holes in the soil are surely from Moles or any varmint that makes nests into the underground soils.

I am thinking that any mulch makes the soil easier to work, as mentioned above. I have used it under a Chestnut oak tree a couple years ago, it didn't attract any tunneling varmints under that tree. I have mulched a couple other trees with local pine needles, and everything is fine. But, I am hoping to collect lots of pine needles for mulch to put under lots of my trees, mostly oaks.