The health of Maryland’s hemlocks, and the associated ecosystems, is being threatened by the hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA). This small, exotic insect is native to Asia, and was first found in North America in British Columbia in the1920’s. It was reported in Richmond, Virginia in 1951, and spread northward into Maryland by the 1980’s.
Landscape hemlocks in the Baltimore – Washington area were infested by the woolly adelgid in the late 1980’s and natural stands in the area became infested by 1990. The infestation steadily moved westward through native stands of hemlock in Frederick and Washington Counties in the mid-1990’s, Allegany County in 1999 and Garrett County in 2001.
Hemlock woolly adelgid is most easily recognized by the white “woolly” wax they produce on young hemlock twigs. The “wool” is present all year, but is most abundant and conspicuous during the spring and fall when egg masses are present. Most other stages in the life cycle are much harder to see. Fully grown woolly adelgids adults are only about the size of a period on a printed page.
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