What's this white fuzzy stuff?

[alecs]

Hi,
I noticed a tree on the shore of my pond with what looks like white fuzzy lint on the branches.  This tree is a hardwood of some sort - maybe a beech? - and it's next to a stand of hemlocks.  The white stuff (seen in the pics) appears to be some sort of insect or maybe a fungus.  The adjacent hemlocks do have some adelgid infestation, but this doesn't look the same and from my understanding, the adelgid fuzz will only be on hemlocks. 

Can anyone ID the tree and the white fuzzy stuff?  And, I guess the followup question is, what to do (if anything) about the white fuzz?

Thanks
Alec



 



 

[mesquite buckeye]

Looks a little like mealy bugs. I have never seen them on a tree though. It would be an easy matter to tell if it is a bug or fungus. Knock a few off and see if they pop when you squish them. If they do, it's a bug. ;D ;D ;D ;D 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8)

[sprucebunny]

Alder has it's own wooly adelgid.

Got a hand held propane torch ???

[mesquite buckeye]

Check  this out.



http://www.entomology.umn.edu/cues/Web/223WoollyAlderAphid.pdf