Hemlock Woolly Adelgid – Preparing for a winter feast

This close up photo is to show the  presence of woolly adelgid on this hemlock.  The adelgid mass is the white cottony material at the base of the green hemlock leaf, visible at the top center of this picture.  Hemlock woolly adelgid is a winter feeder, so it is gearing up for activity from mid-October to feed on the hemlock by sucking plant sap from the tree.  On heavily infested plants it looks like snow or frost on the tree.  This insect has been in Massachusetts since 1988 and is fatal to hemlocks.  More information from UMASS is available here.  We treat them either with horticultural oil application or by injected the tree with the ArborJet Tree I.V. system.

-Lauren Greenhow, General Manager, GreenHow, Inc. GreenHow.com. Effective Organic and Low Impact Solutions, Lawn Care, Pest Control and Termite Control in Newton and Metro Boston.