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Home MenuHemlock Woolly Adelgid
The Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (Adelges tsugae) is a tiny, non-native aphid-like insect that, if left unchecked, kills hemlock trees by feeding at the base of hemlock needles and preventing nutrients from flowing to the needles - the needles drop, and the tree dies. Scientists believe Woolly Adelgids can kill Hemlocks within a matter of years.
First discovered at Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve in summer of 2010, Cary in partnership with NC State Parks and the NC Forest Service worked with area experts to develop an initial the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Treatment Plan. This plan included actions to inventory all the hemlock trees on the site, monitor each tree for its' individual level of infestation, treat using insecticidal soaps & oil or chemicals as needed, and monitor the population on an on-going basis.
Today, Cary continues proactive management of the Eastern hemlock population at Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve, where trees are threatened by the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA). Through an ongoing partnership with NC State and the NC Forest Service, staff monitor HWA activity and implement a five-year treatment cycle to protect the trees with insecticide treatments.
More Information
Learn more about Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve.
Hemlock Woolly Adelgid: Biology, Identification, and How You Can Fight Back- NC State Forest Health
Brochure: Hemlock Woolly Adelgid - NC Division of Forest Resources
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