Hemlock Woolly Adelgid

Annie Paradis, is a PhD candidate in OEB and Entomology studying the hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae). This insect is an invasive species that was accidentally introduced to the Eastern U.S. in the early 1950's from Japan. Today it can be found from northern Georgia to northern Massachusetts, with a few populations established along the coast of Maine. Currently, cold winter temperatures are keeping it from spreading much farther north. Each adelgid feeds on the sap of hemlock trees, produces a white waxy mass around itself (above), and can kill hemlocks within 4-12 years. Entire stands of hemlock have been wiped out in several North and South Carolina forests. In some areas, beetles from Japan and China that feed on adelgid have been released with the hope that they will control this pest and keep it from harming trees.

Annie is studying the amounts and causes of death in the adelgid throughout their natural life cycle in Connecticut and Massachusetts. She also measures how many offspring adelgid have on average and uses these data to determine how adelgid population sizes will fluctuate from year to year. She also uses this information to study whether or not the beetles released to control the adelgid are actually working, and how far north the adelgid will be able to move in the future as temperatures rise due to global warming.

Contact Annie