Eastern Hemlock with Woolly Adelgid
Our Pennsylvania state tree, the Eastern Hemlock, is a proud and stately tree. You can spot it by the cone shape and soft feel of the needles. At Cutting Edge Tree Professionals, we are proud to serve our home state of Pennsylvania with our tree care work. That means addressing the issues and pests that attack the Eastern Hemlock, especially at this time of the year.
What attacks the Eastern Hemlock?
The woolly adelgid, an insect that feeds on the hemlock’s needles. It looks distinctive with the soft, white tufts that protect them once they settle on the tree. Take a close look at base of the needles and see the infestation of the insects feeding on the tree.
Cutting Edge Tree Professionals specialize in tree and plant health care, among other services. Take a look now at our complete list of services. Because we care about the environment, we need to address the issue of the wooly adelgid, which in the Northeast now infects nearly half of the Eastern Hemlock range. The insect feeds off of the sap of the tree and is carried by wind, animals, or humans from tree to tree.
Woolly Adelgid Close Up
Though there are natural predators to the wooly adelgid, such as the Ladybeetle (not to be confused with the Ladybug), the lifespan is up to nine months, surviving the cold winter.
These tiny, destructive insects reach their peak maturation during the late summer and early fall. It is just before winter that they cause the most damage to the environment that we care to protect. The eggs hatch in the cooler months of fall after being laid in the spring, giving them the winter months to grow and feed on the Hemlock trees.
If you know you have Eastern Hemlock trees in your yard, or are around them frequently, you can prevent the spread of the woolly adelgid.
What can you do?
Woolly Adelgid Invading North America
Contact your local plant care professionals to treat the tree. And help to protect the longevity of the tree’s life. At Cutting Edge Tree Professionals, we offer free consultations for our services. All sizes and ages of the Hemlock are susceptible, so contact us today about helping the trees in your area!
Don’t let these tiny pests take over your impressive trees. Let’s be vigilant together in caring for Pennsylvania’s landmark trees, which can thrive without being damaged from the preventable woolly adelgid. We love our Eastern Hemlock and are here to give these trees their best chance at thriving in our region.
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