[Note: Check out Asheville’s solution to the Woody Adelgid here. And on a personal note, I hope that a solution is found soon for the sake of the three infested hemlocks within falling distance of my home! – jdub]

Beetle-breeding lab could be answer for endangered trees

[Georgia] The clock is ticking in the race to save Georgia’s hemlock trees. But scientists now believe they have a fighting chance to make a difference. An invasive foreign insect called the hemlock woolly adelgid has been spreading rapidly through forests in the eastern United States. Adelgids attach themselves to the base of hemlock needles and suck the sap, eventually killing the tree. Individual trees can be treated with insecticides. But the only way to combat adelgids on a large scale is to introduce a predator that will eat them. The University of Georgia is establishing a lab for breeding three species of lady beetles that prey on adelgids. Introducing yet another foreign species to the North Georgia ecosystem could, in theory, create more problems than it solves, but researchers believe the beetles will cause no harm.

News notes are courtesy of Southern Forests Network News Notes
www.southernsustainableforests.org