We’ve been hearing every so often about a pest that is threatening hemlock trees in our area. The hemlock wooly adelgid made it’s way to the eastern United States many years ago, and has slowly been spreading north. Now it seems to be threatening these trees around our area.
These little bugs, which sound kind of cute from the name, are really quite dangerous. The problem is, these little tiny bugs get on these great big trees and manage to kill them within a few years. A forest of dead trees is going to be a bit of a fire hazard, and a danger to everything else.
Now I will admit to being partial to hemlock groves. I find them magical places, cool dark spots on even the warmest days, with lots of different types of mushrooms and fungi growing underneath, and usually a carpet of moss. Not a lot of undergrowth in these areas, which makes them great places to take a walk. So I do hope we can avoid them getting wiped out.
Some areas are being cut, just to protect other species around them. I have heard of crews heading back into the woods to give trees shots to help protect them. Yes, apparently there is a tree vaccine for this. Other than the fact I have heard it exists, I don’t know much about it.
There are also other treatments. Like spraying the infected trees with an insecticidal soap solution or dormant oil, much like you might treat a fruit tree. They also mentioned covering the tree for a while after. I don’t think that’s a good option. Mainly because I left my hundred foot step ladder in my other pants.
You can also mix up a pesticide solution and pour it around the roots of the tree in the spring. But the recommended pesticide to use is a neonicotinoid, which is the stuff they say is killing off the bees. Granted, this would be inside the tree, and the insect has to bite the tree to get to the pesticide, which bees don’t do, but still…
Although the recommended chemical is also the active ingredient in a lot of flea and tick pet medication.
I have a couple rather nice hemlocks around, and I would like to keep them. Finding out how to do that doesn’t seem to be an easy task.
