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New pest

Hemlock woolly adelgid has arrived

First it was the emerald ash borer; then the Asian long-horned beetle; and now we have the hemlock woolly adelgid.

Years ago, my husband and I visited the Smoky Mountains National Park specifically to understand the hemlock woolly adelgid infesting the park. We spoke at length with rangers and found a mass extinction was unfolding. They explained that the Eastern hemlocks were centuries old, and the best understory trees for holding soil around rivers and creeks, as well as keeping water temperatures cool. Trout and other cool water creatures must have this climate in order to live and breed.

Now it is most serious, as the hemlock woolly adelgid has colonized the Blue Ridge Parkway, and the Shenandoah National Park. It has been in the Marietta area and Hocking Hills since 2012. Hocking Hill has the largest hemlock forest in the state. The shaded areas of our country are homes to many ecosystems that we will lose as this insect takes hold. This is as serious a threat as the American chestnut demise in the 1930s and ’40s, and the Dutch elm disease in the 1950s and ’60s that wiped out a whole species as well. Our forests have still not recovered from those diseases.

Today, the hemlock woolly adelgid is in Mill Creek MetroParks, and people with hemlocks in their yards or forests must become vigilant to look for these destructive insects. They are small, about 1.5 mm, brownish crawlers, that eat at the base of hemlock needles with sucker-like mouths. In taking sap they may as well secrete toxins into the tree. At first, the tree loses needles and looks bare. Then begins to fail, and dies. This can happen in one year, but usually four to 10 years is the rate of decline.

The adults of the hemlock woolly adelgid are all female (this is called parthenogenesis), like honeybees, and can lay 300 eggs twice in one year. All these are female as well. So, a tree can be overwhelmed quickly.

What can the public do to monitor this insect? What can a hemlock owner do? First, inspect tree(s) weekly for a white cotton-like substance on the underside of the branches. This time of year is a good time to look, as they are feeding until the summer.

If you do find any hemlock woolly adelgid on your tree, call the OSU Extension office or Mill Creek MetroPark to report it. These groups will direct you to the Ohio Department of Agriculture and others who are monitoring the pest. You can report a possible infestation to plant pest@agri.ohio.gov.

Another thing you can do is keep your bird feeders far away from any hemlocks you have. These insects travel on birds, wind and animals, and keeping birds away as they feed is very helpful.

You can participate in a public program via zoom to learn more. OSU Extension is partnering with Mill Creek MetroParks and other organizations to provide an overview of this invasive insect. Join us on 6 p.m. March 31 to see photos and learn all about this insect as well as what you can do to help monitor its presence.

For details and to register for the program, go to http://go.osu.edu/hwa.

To view a factsheet about HWA, go to http://go.osu.edu/woolyadelgid.

Hughes is an Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalist.

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