The next time you're outside, take a look at your hemlock, pine or other conifer trees. Do they have a white, waxy coating around the base of the needles? If so, you could have a problem. You could be looking at an infestation of adelgids. Fortunately, you can treat them with Ortho® MAX™ Tree & Shrub Insect Control Ready-To-Spray.
Adelgids are yet another invasive species that come here from Asia in the 1920's. Like aphids, these pests are sap-suckers that live on pine, hemlock, fir, and other conifers. In the spring, young adelgids hatch and begin crawling to find new feeding sites. Once they settle in, they latch on to a host tree and coat themselves with a waxy substance for protection from predators. It also may protect them from some spray controls.
Adelgids are mobile in early or mid-spring. When they're crawling, they're vulnerable to predators and control products. Insecticidal soaps, such as Ortho® Elementals™ Insecticidal Soap, can work well at this stage.
If you see the waxy white stuff on your conifer needles, adelgids have already settled in. You have to change tactics and start using a systemic control. Ortho® MAX™ Tree & Shrub Insect Control Ready-to-Spray is absorbed by the tree's roots and moves up into the tree, where it can control sap-sucking bugs such as adelgids.
Adelgids feed all winter long. You can smother them with Ortho® Volck® Oil Spray, which covers their waxy protective coating.
Adelgids are insects that live on the sap of conifers, such as hemlock, fir, and pine. Different species prefer different host trees. They cover themselves with a protective coating, which makes controlling them difficult. They have been known to wipe out entire forests.
