Keeping the Legacy Alive

Chemical Control

Chemical pesticides are widely used as a primary defense against hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) populations in the US. Chemical control can delay adelgid impacts, essentially providing a ‘life support’ for the trees and allowing more time for nature to adapt and for the development of longer-term solutions. In the US, it has been the most successful short-term method available for protecting high-value hemlock trees and slowing the spread of HWA. Chemical treatments to save trees may take as long as two years to translocate to the tree canopy where it becomes effective against HWA. A hemlock tree may lose capacity to translocate the chemical, and recovery will not be possible if treatment is not delivered early enough.  

 

Because HWA is protected by its woolly covering it is not effective to spray chemicals to control HWA.

 

Systemic insecticides have been applied by stem injection, basal bark application, and soil injection. Systemic insecticides are chemicals that are carried in the cells inside the tree that transport water from the roots to foliage. Currently there are four insecticides approved for use in Canada through Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency – they include: IMA-jet, Xytect 2F, TreeAzin, and Starkle 20SG.  IMA-jet and TreeAzin are injected directly into the tree using special tree injection equipment, and Xytect 2F and Starkle 20SG are applied on the bark to the lower part (1.4m) of the tree using a backpack sprayer. IMA-jet and Xytect 2F take 6-9 months to take effect and provide 4-7 years of protection. TreeAzin and Starkle 20SG act quicker and only take 1 month to take effect, but only provide 1-2 years of protection. These are all commercial pesticides requiring a provincial pesticide applicators certificate to apply. There is no domestic or over the counter pesticide currently available for HWA control in Canada. Direct, systemic injection into trees greatly decreases environmental exposure to the chemical as well as total product amounts required.

 

To inquire about chemical treatment for hemlock on your property please contact a licensed applicator. Contact list will be up-dated as more licensed applicators become available.

 

Scott Robinson
Cell: 902-875-7686
Email: arborcom@gmail.com

Less toxic control products

Insecticidal soaps and horticultural oils have been used instead of insecticides. They have a low toxicity and have been effective when properly applied. Multiple applications are required and thorough coverage on larger trees is extremely difficult. Horticultural oils function by suffocating the adelgid; infested needles and well-protected waxy ovisacs must be completely drenched. Traditional pyrethroids (an organic compound found in the majority of household insecticides) and other pesticides are considered less effective than systemic insecticides because of the difficulty in achieving adequate coverage and the larger amounts required for external spray applications, greatly increasing the toxicity exposure to other organisms. Other less toxic insecticides are also being tested by CFS.

 

Please carefully consider the options available and consult with a professional certified pesticide operator if you decide to use neonicotinoids to help keep hemlock alive and mitigate the spread of HWA on your property.

 

 

Risk Assessment of Imidacloprid use in forest settings on the aquatic macroinvertebrate community.

 

Environmental Risks to Arthropods from Imidacloprid Applications for Hemlock Conservation. 

Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA) Action/Treatment Program for Nova Scotia

Frequently asked questions about Nova Scotia's HWA Action treatment program