"Sis" wrote in :

Has anyone had any problem with Wooley Adelgids on their Hemlock
trees? They appear as white, "wooley" covering on the branches and
needles of the tree. They may be in the aphid family. My Hemlocks
have this and many branches are dying- I'm very upset, since I've had
these trees for a long time and never had any problems with them. I
recently had them sprayed with a dormant oil spray, but haven't seen
any improvement yet. Can anyone who has had these or has any
experience/ knowledge please share with me. Thanks so much. Sis



Yes sis, wooly adelgid is a huge problem these days-- natural stands of
Hemlock are being decimated along with landscape trees.

If your tree is small enough, blasting it with a strong jet of water from
top to bottom is a good way to start, hitting especially the strongly
affected areas.

I use Sunspray Horticultural Oil and apply routinely every 7 days for at
least 3 cycles, followed by monthly spraying or if an outbreak is spotted.
Don't apply Sunspray if very hot conditions are expected (above 88°F.) or
frosts.

It's not practical to spray huge stands of trees or very large individual
trees, although if your jet of water reaches I'd say go for it. Followup by
making sure the tree has ample moisture and hope for the best.

--
David J. Bockman, Fairfax, VA (USDA Hardiness Zone 7)
email:
http://beyondgardening.com/Albums