DEC recently treated eastern hemlock trees for hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA), an invasive aphid-like insect that attacks hemlock, at Birdseye Hollow State Forest in Steuben County. At 1.5 mm, these minute insects are hard to see unless the white woolly covering on their egg sacs is visible. Look for these tiny cotton-ball like masses on the underside of hemlock branches, right at the base of the needles. HWA was first detected in the area in 2018.
The HWA treatments to protect hemlock trees at Birdseye Hollow State Forest were made possible through a partnership with the NYS Hemlock Initiative. The trees were treated with insecticides to protect them from HWA for the next few years while long-term protection is developed using biological control agents, such as insects that prey up the HWA. The hemlocks in Birdseye Hollow were selected for treatment because they are larger, mostly healthy trees nearby, but not in, a wetland and stream complex that provides important habitat. Treatment for HWA will continue at Birdseye Hollow throughout the fall and additional hemlocks have been treated at Hemlock-Canadice and McCarthy Hill State Forests.
To learn more about HWA and how you can help, visit https://bit.ly/3UAEp0F
Categories: New York, Crops