Pest Control Efforts for the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid

From the order, Hemiptera, the hemlock woolly adelgid, or HWA (Adelges tsugae) is an invasive species wreaking havok on hemlock stands in the eastern United States. The nymphs of this species (pictured below in an S.E.M.) feed on tissues of the young twigs of the trees. This damages the tree by depriving it of the stored starches the young tissue would provide. The HWA gets its name from the woolly-looking substance that covers the insect and its eggs as it matures.

Management efforts to control this pest include selectively applying pesticides as well as introducing predatory beetles as a biological control.

Read more: http://tinyurl.com/c5a74vz
http://www.uri.edu/ce/factsheets/sheets/hemadelgid.html
http://www.nps.gov/neri/naturescience/hwa.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemlock_woolly_adelgid

Photo: http://www.nps.gov/neri/naturescience/hwa.htm