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Treating for Hemlock Woolly Adelgid

Started by Dodgy Loner, May 08, 2008, 11:54:24 AM

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Dodgy Loner

Lanier_Lurker sent me a PM requesting information on treating hemlocks for hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) infestation, and I thought I would post my response here for anyone else who might have hemlocks they would like to treat:

The cost of treatment varies widely depending upon the size and number of trees to be treated.  Small trees (ie, less than 10 feet tall) can be easily and inexpensively treated with a coat of horticurtural oil or insecticidal soap.  The tree must be thoroughly coated, especially the undersides of the twigs, where the adelgids are concentrated.

Larger trees are more expensive to treat, because they require a systemic insecticide that is applied to the soil.  The only chemical that I recommend is imidacloprid, which is sold under a wide variety of trade names.  It can be picked up in a very diluted solution at Wal-Mart, Lowe's, or Home Depot under the label "Bayer Advanced Tree and Shrub Insect Control".  I recommend this to homeowners with just a few average-sized hemlocks to treat, because of the convenience.  Beyond that, it will become cost prohibitive, and a more concentrated solution should be purchased.  Trade names include Merit, Imidipro, Touchstone, Zenith, QualiPro, and Lesco.  These can sometimes be purchased from farm and garden stores, but chemical supply companies are your best bet.

Regardless of what form of imidicloprid you buy, the application methods are the same.  You will have to dilute it according to the instructions.  The application rate is dependent upon the size of the tree.  For Bayer Advanced Tree and Shrub Insect Control, the proper rate is one ounce per inch of circumference (very important - some labels give directions based on the diameter, others based on the circumference; pay attention to what you are measuring!).  Pour the solution in a 1' band right around the trunk.  Do not apply it to the entire drip line of the tree!  This is a very common mistake.

The best time to apply imidicloprid is in March-May and September-October, because this is when the insects are most active.  However, if you have a severe infestation, the best time to apply is ASAP, regardless of the time of year.  Imidicloprid will typically give control for 2-3 years.  It should not need to be applied annually, but the best time to reapply is whenever you notice an active infestation, whether that is one year or ten years after you first applied the treatment.
"There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey." -John Ruskin

Any idiot can write a woodworking blog. Here's mine.

Ron Scott

POSSIBLE PREDATORS FOR THE HEMLOCK WOOLLY ADELGID


Hemlock Beetle Battle  [Let's wish UT success in their research!]

University of Tennessee's Beneficial Insects lab steps up production to combat the adelgids killing hemlocks
http://www.metropulse.com/news/2008/jun/11/hemlock-beetle-battle/

While the sap-sucking woolly adelgid is laying waste to eastern and Carolina hemlocks in the forests of Southern Appalachia at an alarming pace, scientists at the Lindsay Young Beneficial Insects Laboratory at the University of Tennessee are working just as furiously to produce predator bugs that can demolish the invaders.

At the urging of the U.S. Forest Service and under the direction of Dr. Pat Parkman, the four-laboratory complex produced 213,000 Sasajiscymnus tsugae and 20,000 Laricobius nigrinus, two beetles that devour the aphid-like adelgids, between November 2006 and June 2007. That's more than twice the number of St beetles the lab had produced in a single year since opening in 2004, and almost 10 times more Lari beetles than the previous year.  [for full text click on URL above]

MSAF


~Ron

Phorester


I've had some homeowners who I've recommended control methods for the HWA just cut the trees down rather than try to control the insect.  What a waste of beautiful trees.

SwampDonkey

Not many left around here and I'm not sure we have the insect to blame in my area. It was over harvested and many times left to rot on log landings. Sap suckers may also be part blame on the health of hemlock up this way. Most markets pay very low price for hemlock, $50-70 a cord I believe.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Dodgy Loner

I hope the beetles work out, because that's the only thing that will be able to mitigate the damage to the hemlocks in forested areas.  It's only cost-effective to treat hemlocks with insecticides as yard trees.  I'm not particularly optimistic, though, because the University of Georgia and Clemson have been studying those beetles for years, now, without so much as a whiff of success.
"There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey." -John Ruskin

Any idiot can write a woodworking blog. Here's mine.

BrandonTN

Forester, Nantahala National Forest

Ron Scott

North Carolina

June 12th- Camcore, a program within North Carolina State University's Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, are working to protect varieties of hemlock against the Adelges tsugae, also known as the hemlock wooly adelgid. The insect threatens the survival of the Carolina and eastern hemlock populations, according to Robert Jetton.

Researchers believe the insect came from Japan in the 1950's and began to affect hemlocks in the 1980s in the Appalachian region. The United States Forest Service is using biological control strategies to combat the adelgid.

The biological control efforts are recording successful results, but the Forest Service enlisted Camcore's help to preserve the hemlock's genetic material through the storage of seeds and off-site cultivation of the hemlocks. The hope is that adelgid resistant genotypes can be developed through breeding.

SAF Policy Update
~Ron

Ron Scott

To Protect Hemlock Trees, Quarantine in West Michigan Expanded
Port Huron Times Herald, Sept. 23, 2020
A quarantine in western Michigan has been expanded to protect against the spread of hemlock woolly adelgid — a small insect that infests eastern hemlock trees. While the infestation is concentrated in one area, the hemlock trees vulnerable to the insect live throughout much of Michigan, including in St. Clair County.
~Ron

GullyBog

I hope the adelgid never completely overlaps the hemlock's range.  They aren't all gone here but it's not the same.  A lot less needles on the survivors and less shade on the creeks.  The predator beetles have established here and there is regeneration so I am hopeful.  
There might be a little dust on the butt log, but don't let if fool ya bout what's inside

SwampDonkey

Companies leave them behind up here on clear cuts to blow down. They are not as wind firm as white pines. I've seen some thinning blocks turn into blow down nightmares. Ever try to work around 30"-40" diameter blown down hemlocks with limbs on, with a brush saw?
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Ron Scott

 
Forest Service Continues to Use Beetles to Combat Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (PA)
The Times Observer, Nov. 27, 2023
The U.S. Forest Service continues to use nature to fight nature in the ongoing struggle against hemlock woolly adelgid. Over the summer, silver flies were released on the Allegheny National Forest. Read More


The E-Forester
~Ron

runmca


Ianab

Makes sense. When trees are crowded they are in competition with each other, and stressed due to less light, nutrients and water etc. Like a plantation forest that's not thinned, the trees tend to "stagnate" until some of them eventually die, leaving space for the survivors to grow some more. When you have that "stressed" scenario, throw in a bug attack, and you get a lot of dead trees.
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

SwampDonkey

Not a lot of effort up this way to save hemlock. It's a low value tree commercially since it is most often full of shake. It's a lower value wood than aspen.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

shaneyho

Treating a full-grown tree will cost $$$$

sprucebunny

MS193, MS192 and an 026  Weeding and Thinning. Gilbert Champion sawmill

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