Rusty Rhea
Wednesday, October 15, 2008 - 11:30-12:00
The exotic insect pest hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA), Adelges tsugae, is a serious pest of eastern and Carolina hemlock Tsugae canadensis, caroliniana. If left unchecked this insect pest has the potential to eliminate these eastern hemlock species. This poses a great challenge for resource managers as well as individuals who value their hemlock resources and want to maintain them. To date management of the adelgid has been concentrated in three general areas. These include the use of insecticides, biological control agents, and genetic resistance. The use of insecticides for adelgid control is largely considered a stopgap approach while biological control and genetic resistance offer a more long-term sustainable potential. Advances in insecticides, their application rates, and timing have yielded effective and efficient control of the adelgid while minimizing environmental impacts. Biological control has focused on adelgid specific predatory insects from NA as well as Asia. Efforts to collect, rear, and release these predatory insects are a priority within the adelgid arena. The search for additional biological control agents continues within both NA and Asia. Studies are underway to explore potential adelgid resistance in Asian and western NA hemlock species. These studies may offer useful information that could benefit genetic resistance work on eastern and Carolina hemlock. Management of HWA poses great challenges to resource managers and individuals and is critical to the long-term future and sustainability of the eastern hemlock species.
Keywords: HEMLOCK WOOLLY ADELGID, BIOLOGICAL CONTROL, CHEMICAL CONTROL, INVASIVE SPECIES, HEMLOCK, HEMLOCK RESISTANCE, GENETIC RESISTANCE