HWA Controls

Cultural Practices Chemical Treatment Biological Controls

The hemlock woolly adelgid is a tiny insect with an enormous capacity for destruction in a complex ecosystem. Due to their prolific rate of reproduction, adelgids are able to multiply to such huge numbers that they can overwhelm even a large hemlock and over a period of just a few years can kill it. And on a forest level, this creates massive swaths of dead and dying hemlocks across the landscape, adversely impacting water quality, soil retention, and the health and biodiversity of other forest plants and animals.

You may ask, "How can we get rid of these pests?" but the answer is far from easy. Sadly, the short answer is that we cannot, and probably never will, get rid of them completely. Perhaps the more appropriate question is "How can we control them?" Again, the answer is not simple, but scientists believe that by using a combination of methods, it may be possible to control HWA populations and the damage they cause to the extent that the hemlocks can survive and even thrive again.

There are three main approaches to HWA controls: cultural, chemical, and biological. Property owners should use a combination of cultural practices and chemical treatments for the most reliable and cost-effective HWA control. High priority stands of hemlocks on public lands (national forests, state parks, recreational areas, etc.) are being treated with carefully managed programs of chemical and/or biological controls; please see Hemlock Conservation Areas (HCAs).

You can click on these links to learn more about cultural, chemical, and biological controls.

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