A Sustainable Management
Solution for Hemlock Woolly Adelgid
HWA Biological Control
Laricobius nigrinus, a predator beetle of Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, is now available for private landowners.
Natural HWA Mangement
The HWA biological control program is designed to help forest land managers combat active HWA infestations on private land. Our goal is to reduce the economic and environmental impacts associated with conventional HWA management. Biological control DOES NOT eliminate the need for insecticides to effectively control HWA. Successfully established colonies of laricobius nigrinus will predate on Hemlock Woolly Adelgid year after year.
To date, over 450,000 l.nigrinus predator beetles have been released in eastern forests
Restoring Balance
Without a native specialist predator, Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (Adelges tsugae Annand) will continue to cause mass mortality of eastern hemlock trees. The lifecycle of laricobius nigrinus Fender (Coleoptera: Derodontidae) is highly synchronized with the sisten generation of Hemlock Woolly Adelgid. L.nigrinus predates on HWA throughout the winter months (October-March) while their larvae feed on sisten eggs to complete their development (March-June). L.nigrinus is successfully establishing in many regions of the eastern United States thanks to collaborative efforts.
Laricobius nigrinus is a specialist predator native to the Pacific North West
Learn more about the program
If you’re curious about implementing biological control into your integrated HWA management plan, use the contact form below and we will do our best to determine if biological control is a good fit for your trees and answer any questions you may have about the program.
