Hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) is an aphid-like insect that solely feeds on hemlock bushes. First present in British Columbia 100 years in the past, and in Virginia within the Nineteen Fifties, the insect finally kills the bushes. Whereas circumstances of HWA have been present in Ontario as way back as 2012, all have been contained within the Niagara Peninsula. Of the 2 circumstances this 12 months, one was in Pelham inside Niagara, whereas the opposite was in Grafton in Northumberland County.
Hemlock is a crucial tree for fish and wildlife in addition to the forestry trade. The bushes help with temperature regulation in streams, which permits cold-water species like brook trout to outlive. It additionally gives cowl for deer and birds within the winter.
“The impacts to wildlife would come with the lack of winter cowl for deer, moose, and birds in addition to a discount in meals supply for forest animals,” mentioned Alison Morris, coordinator of Ontario’s Invading Species Consciousness Program. “The dense branches of hemlock are a fantastic supply of shelter and used as bedding websites for white-tailed deer.”
Look ahead to indicators
Indicators of an HWA infestation embrace dieback of twigs and branches on a hemlock tree. The bugs are tiny, lower than a millimetre in size within the nymph stage, and the adults seem like aphids. Eggs are amber in color and contained in a woolly, white sack on the base of the needles from November to Could.
On account of the newest circumstances, the Canadian Meals Inspection Company has positioned a restriction on any motion of hemlock tree supplies, and firewood of all species, from the Metropolis of Niagara Falls, the Township of Wainfleet, and the City of Fort Erie.
Any suspected circumstances of HWA must be reported by calling the Invading Species Hotline at 1-800-563-7711, or by visiting EDDMapS.org or iNaturalist.org.
