Invasive Balsam Woolly Adelgid Confirmed In Kent County

Press release from Michigan DNR:

August 16, 2021

Contact: Program contact: Rob Miller, 517-614-0454 Media contact: Jennifer Holton, 517-284-5724 Agency: Natural Resources

Aug. 16, 2021

First detection of this invasive bug in the state

Today, Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) Director Gary McDowell announced the state's first verified detection of balsam woolly adelgid (BWA) near Rockford in Kent County.

Can't see the table below? Click here to view the original story.

Symptoms of BWA infestation include:

• Tiny 1- to 2-millimeter, white woolly tufts on the lower trunk of the tree and possibly on large branches in the spring and summer.
• Swelling and distortion of the twigs, commonly called "gout."
• Flagging - A branch or branches that turn brick-red and die.
• Tree crowns that become narrow and misshapen with few needles.

"Thanks to an alert arborist, MDARD was able to collect samples and confirm that several Fraser fir trees on a single residential property were infested with balsam woolly adelgid," said Mike Philip, MDARD's Pesticide and Plant Pest Management Division director. "Early detection and response are crucial to our efforts to protect the state's natural resources. We don't know how long it's been here or if it's spread; however, PPPM and its partner agencies will begin survey work to try and determine the extent of the infestation."

In 2014, MDARD implemented a balsam woolly adelgid quarantine regulating the movement of potentially infested nursery stock from areas in North America with known infestations.

Can't see the table below? Click here to view the original story.

Michigan's Invasive Species Program is cooperatively implemented by the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, the Department of Natural Resources, and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Note to editors: Accompanying forest pest alert and quarantine information and photos are available for download. Photo caption and credit information follows.

MDARD BWA Forest Pest alert

MDARD BWA Quarantine

Photos:

BWA tufts: One visible sign of balsam woolly adelgid infestation is tiny, white, cottony tufts on the trunks or lower branches of balsam, concolor or Fraser fir trees. Photo courtesy of Jerald E. Dewey, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org.

BWA gouting: Balsam woolly adelgid feeding causes gouting or swollen, deformed twigs on host trees. Photo courtesy of David McComb, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org.

Gouting of Fraser fir: Photo courtesy of USDA Forest Service - Region 8 - Southern, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org.

Additional photos are available in this online forest gallery.

This press release was produced by the Michigan DNR. The views expressed here are the author’s own.