Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Alert

SPECIAL ALERT
Help Slow the Spread of Hemlock Woolly Adelgid
in Maine

We urgently need your support in detecting infestations to promptly curb the spread of this serious pest.

Do not move hemlock trees, seedlings or nursery stock from infested areas (USFS Map, USFS List).
- In Maine this includes the towns of Eliot, Kittery, Ogunquit, South Berwick, Wells and York.
Please check any existing hemlock plantings for adelgids.
Look for cottony white material that looks like cotton swab tips. Use the photos for a guide, for more photos visit our Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Web site.
Report suspicious findings to:
- Ann Gibbs, State Horticulturist
  Phone: (207) 287-3891
  or
- Allison Kanoti, Forest Entomologist
  Phone (207) 287-2431
How do I know if I have a hemlock?
What else can I do to help?

The hemlock woolly adelgid is a serious pest of hemlock in the northeastern United States.

Hemlock woolly adelgid can be transported long distance on planting stock (nursery or wildings).
Hemlock woolly adelgid can spread from planted stock to native trees.
Hemlock woolly adelgid seriously weakens and kills hemlock trees.
Hemlock is an important part of Maine's forests.
There currently is a Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Quarantine against the movement of hemlock trees and logs from infested areas.

Time-line of Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Detections in Maine

1999 - Hemlock woolly adelgid was inadvertently shipped to Maine from Connecticut on untreated nursery stock . The infested stock was treated and monitored for insect survival.

2000 - Hemlock woolly adelgid infested outplanted hemlocks were found in new locations. Some of the hemlocks exhibited relatively heavy infestations indicating that they were infested when planted.

2001 - Again infested outplanted hemlocks were found in new locations. New infestations were found at sites treated in previous years

2003 - Hemlock woolly adelgid was detected in Kittery and York, Maine forests. These sites are considered to be the northern edge of the general infestation in eastern North America. Spread was most likely from natural movement by wind, birds and/or mammals. Management tactics in this area focus on containment.

2007 - Reports of hemlock woolly adelgid infested outplanted hemlocks, although much reduced, continue to come in. Maintain vigilance in checking your trees for this insect and report any suspected finds. Infestations in natural forest stands have been found in Eliot, Kittery, South Berwick, Wells and York.

2008 - Park Ranger, Janet Mangion, discovers hemlock woolly adelgid during routine road-side maintenance at Ferry Beach State Park in Saco. Press coverage of the detection yields reports of infested outplanted hemlocks in South Portland and infested forest hemlocks in Kennebunkport. Follow up surveys reveal a low-level infestation throughout Ferry Beach State Park.

Click here for more information on the hemlock woolly adelgid in Maine.

For more information on this pest call or write to the
Insect and Disease Laboratory
50 Hospital Street, Augusta, ME 04330
(207) 287-2431

Please take time to check your hemlocks and help us squelch this potential blight to Maine's hemlock resource. Only with your assistance can we make this effort effective.

Since June 12, 2001, you are the Counter person to visit the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid alert page.

Connect to the USDA Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Web page.

GO to Forest Health & Monitoring Division home page.
GO to Maine Forest Service home page.
GO to DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION home page.