Invasive Insects in Ohio: The Hemlock Wooly Adelgid
Globalization strikes again! The main invasive pests I've been hearing about in Ohio over the past few years have been the Emerald Ash Borer ( Agrilus planipennis ) and Asian Longhorn Beetle ( Anoplophora glabripennis ), but I now have a new one to add to my list: the Hemlock Wooly Adelgid ( Adelges tsugae ). The Hemlock Wooly Adelgid (HWA) is a true bug in the order Hemiptera and is sort of like an aphid. Adelgids suck plant juices out of conifers, and HWA prefers hemlock trees, specially the eastern and Carolina hemlocks ( Tsuga canadensis and Tsuga caroliniana , respectively). This is a problem. HWA was introduced into the US from Asia in the 1920s, first in the Pacific Northwest, and then in Virginia in the 1950s. That was the start of its foothold in the east, and it spread to other states from there, including Pennsylvania and West Virginia. It didn't reach Ohio until 2001, and has spread into about 27 counties since then. Unfortunately, in 2012 it was detected in my home...