National Invasive Species Awareness Week: Forest Pests
Location, Location, Location, and the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid
Hemlock woolly adelgid, a piercing-sucking insect native to Asia and the Pacific Northwest, has been on the move in Maine. Use these tips to search for hemlock woolly adelgid:
Look at hemlocks. This insect is not found on other plants in North America.
Inspect the undersides of branches with needles. Evidence of hemlock woolly adelgid will be found on the last couple of years of growth. This will be at the tips of fine branches.
Look for masses resembling discrete cotton balls attached where the needles join the twig. The insect inserts its straw-like mouthparts into the woody cushion at the base of the needle.
Pro tip: fresh twigs brought to the ground by animals, weather or harvest are great places to look for hemlock woolly adelgid.
