Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA) Hemlock woolly adelgid
(HWA) is a small aphid-like insect from Japan that has become a serious
pest of eastern hemlock, Tsuga canadensis, in the eastern United States.
Even though an adelgid is smaller than a period at the end of this sentence,
it is easily recognized on the young hemlock twigs by the presence of a
dry, white woolly substance that covers its body and its egg masses. HWA
injures hemlock by sucking sap and by injecting a toxic saliva while feeding.
This causes the needles on infested branches to desiccate, turn a grayish-green
color, and then drop from the tree usually within a few months. Most buds
are also killed, so little if any new growth is produced on infested branches.
Death of major limbs usually occurs within two years and progresses from
the bottom of the tree upwards, even though the infestation may be evenly
distributed throughout the tree. Trees often die within four years, but
some survive longer in a severely weakened condition with only a sparse
amount of foliage at the very top of the crown. These weakened trees are
unsightly and have little chance for recovery. They often fall victim to
wood-boring insects and diseases and are readily broken and thrown by wind.
Reference Sites
for HWA Information
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Site last modified by Adam Esten:
September 9, 2004
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